The Will Of The Force
by Ni'Rala vas Qwib Qwib
Summary: The galaxy is full of undiscovered worlds teeming with life. And everywhere there is the Force. On one of these worlds, the Force prepares to assert its will. It begins with a boy left to die. In his darkest moment the dark side reaches out and nurtures him. When he finally returns to his village, what good will remain, if any is left at all? Dark!Naruto one-sided HinaNaru
1. The Forgotten Prisoner

**The Will Of The Force**

 **Chapter 1**

 **The Forgotten Prisoner**

Konoha was at war. A war they'd been fighting for fifteen years. A war that began with the invasion of Konoha by the traitor Orochimaru. When the serpent was defeated, he'd slithered back to his lair to shed its wounded skin. The might of Konoha could not let such transgressions go unanswered and hunted the traitor. But a snake is difficult to catch once it crawls into its hole. And Orochimaru had many. So while Konoha sought to bury him as he slithered from cave to cave, he worked spreading his scales across the countryside. Small bands of rogue shinobi who adopted his purpose wreaked havoc on Konoha's forces for over a decade. But shinobi of the Leaf were adaptable and soon brought their wrath upon these vagrants of terror. The snake's tail has seen cut short. Now only the head remained.

This was his day of reckoning, Tenten thought. At last he was cornered with nowhere to run, and she and her team would put a dagger through his eye.

She lay hidden in the tree canopy watching her teammates battle the snake in a barren grove. Gai and Lee burned red with the unrestrained power of three opened gates. Neji circled around the dueling trio and closed in only when he saw an opening to seal Orochimaru's tenketsu. But for all their united effort, the snake was toying with the three. His body moved with a nature no human body should possess. He flexed to dodge as if bones were only an option. He grinned maniacally as he slowly nipped, sliced and pierced her comrades with a standard sound village kunai. He didn't bother to bring out the Blade of Kusanagi. This was child's play, a serpent toying with its meal.

But hubris was the downfall of all great men. Orochimaru would be no exception. He still believed they were the threat. But it would be her that signed his doom. Just a little longer and her comrades would have him in position…

The leaves rustled at her side. She spun, meeting Kabuto and his sly smile. "Hello there."

Tenten's eyes went wide just in time to see the dagger flash into her gut.

She screamed as she fell from the branch to the forest floor. She only barely regained enough sense to roll and avoid hitting her head. She sprawled on the leaf-covered floor and looked at her stomach. The kunai was still inside her, a red stain was growing around it on her white shirt.

Kabuto leaped beside her. He smiled and drew another knife. "You really thought it would be that easy, didn't you?"

Tenten grimaced, but she wasn't ready to stop fighting. She couldn't unseal the weapons in her scroll, but she had a perfectly good knife right within arm's reach.

In a flash she withdrew the knife, ignoring the sharp pain and jabbed it just above Kabuto's knee. The man cried and kicked her head as she reared it back for another strike, sending her tumbling across the floor. She struggled to regain her senses as Kabuto hissed, "That won't happen again!"

It didn't have to.

"Fourth gate! Release!"

Kabuto was still turning when Gai's monstrous blow struck him full of his face. The mighty jonin hit with the force of a hurricane and blasted Kabuto through a tree and deep into the forest.

Gai glanced at Tenten, his eyes white against his red skin under the power he unleashed. "Tenten, do it now!" He cried to her.

Tenten grit her teeth through the pain and stood to her feet. She looked down the field, Lee was burning through his energy to keep Orochimaru in place. Neji had been thrown back with a shallow cut on his chest.

Tenten grabbed her enormous scroll and pooled blood from her wound in her hand. This was it. This was where the snake died. This was for Sandaime, and all the other victims of the invasion. This was for all the casualties from their fifteen year guerilla war. This was for Naruto, who never returned from the Sasuke retrieval mission!

She hurled the scroll forward with all her strength and skimmed the unrolling surface with her blood. As it reached its apogee in the sky Tenten cried, "Falling Heavens!"

Ten thousand weapons popped into existence and sliced through the wind as they flew, the entire battlefield would be a pincushion. Lee opened the sixth gate and used his rush to disengage. He grasped Neji by his collar and bolted across the battlefield to Tenten and Gai in the safe zone. Orochimaru looked up and noticed the weapons. He looked irritated.

It seemed they underestimated the might of a Sannin. Just as before he weaved unnaturally through the metal rain like a blurry rubber band. When the weapons met ground, Orochimaru was unharmed.

He grinned, "Was that your final gambit?"

Tenten grinned triumphantly, "No, this is." She formed the tiger seal.

Ten thousand explosive tags lit on ten thousand weapons. Tenten was graced with the satisfaction of seeing fear flash through Orochimaru's eyes.

The field became fire. Tenten and her team were thrown back from the incredible concussive force. Trees bent and buckled against the force, branches were thrown deep into the forest. Orochimaru's underground base was blasted open from above and turned to ruin with rubble. Even the deepest parts of his prison were filled with fire, save for one, which was shielded by a great force.

It was the cage of the forgotten prisoner. And for the first time in nearly fifteen years, it was opened.

Tenten stood up while cradling her wound to view the destruction. Smoke cleared to reveal the ruin of a base below. The winding caves were burned and littered with rubble and earth. Whatever sick experiments Orochimaru performed were lost to the inferno and landfill. Tenten thought it was for the best.

The smoke cleared further, and then she saw the snake. Its skin was charred from the explosion like it had sat on a giant grill for too long. It's mouth was opening, and Orochimaru stepped back into the world.

"No..." Tenten whispered. Gai said nothing, but he looked visibly tense. He was sweating as the effects of the gates wore off.

Orochimaru threw his hair out of his face and looked around his base. He didn't seem concerned. "My my…you Leaf shinobi have been making a habit of destroying my homes. Worry not, I'll return your kindness someday." He grinned, "Though you will not be alive to see it."

Tenten glanced at her team. Neji was back on his feet, but he was shaking and slightly pale as his white robes slowly stained crimson. Lee was in worse shape than Gai, he'd opened too many gates. What could they do now?

To make is worse, Kabuto appeared next to his master in a blur. Whatever damage she and Gai had done was already healed, "Lord Orochimaru, I apologize for my performance."

Orochimaru sneered, "You've grown slow with age. Look what the girl did to my home. But I'll allow you to regain your honor." He grinned and motioned to her, "Bring me her head."

So this is how it would end. They failed their village, they would die and the snake would escape again. How long would this war go on? She looked up to Gai, her wise master, as if he would once again have the answer. But he wasn't afraid. He was mesmerized. Tenten followed his gaze and saw why.

Far beside Orochimaru and Kabuto, rubble was rising. At first it was a bundle of stones, then rocks the size of her head, then boulders. And then it exploded as if a geyser of wind erupted from below.

Everyone turned to the chaos and dodged the rubble as it fell. The site of the eruption was covered in dust and soot. All eyes were on it as it slowly began to clear. A silhouette materialized within the haze. Tenten nearly heaved when it reached their view. It looked like a skeleton.

The body was naked and emaciated, as if caved in twice over from hunger. His body was warped and decaying as if he were a corpse dug back up weeks after the funeral. Bones were visible through the taut skin on his arms and legs, and his blonde hair had lost all sheen. In spite of his haunting appearance, he held himself with daunting pride. His blue eyes held a life his body did not as if it had absorbed all it had. They were furnaces of ice, burning a cold fury that chilled them all. A fury that came to be directed at Orochimaru.

Orochimaru looked at the boy and paled. "You...it's impossible."

"Nothing is impossible, you narrow-minded fool. You could never comprehend my power." The man said. His voice boomed proudly through the forest in a way his shrunken body should not have been able to perform.

"Naruto..." Neji whispered.

"What?" Lee asked.

Neji pointed, "Look at his cheeks."

She saw his whisker marks as he spoke, they were engraved on hollowed cheeks. This was Naruto, she realized in horror. He was alive after all these years. What had they done to him?

Naruto glanced to Kabuto, who instantly felt an ocean of ire. "Traitor." He stated.

Kabuto recovered his masked expression of pleasantness and spread his arms as if in welcome, "Naruto, so good to see-"

Naruto raised his hand and flexed his wrist. Kabuto's head whipped around with a sickening snap. He fell to the ground lifelessly.

Tenten nearly heaved when Kabuto's neck twisted from an unseen force. Naruto didn't spare the body a second glance and looked back to Orochimaru. His rage could only grow, it was in the very air.

Gai whispered, "Neji, what was that?"

Neji opened his mouth as his byakugan pulsed, paused, and answered, "I don't know."

"What?" Gai asked in disbelief.

"I don't know, but it wasn't chakra. It was...nothing."

Orochimaru looked from his dead assistant to their new assailant. Gai's team was all but forgotten. "You should have stayed dead!" Orochimaru hissed before rushing the blonde.

Naruto simply raised his hand again and held it cupped. Orochimaru froze, wincing in unseen pain. He grasped his chest and fell to his knees.

Naruto focused his gaze onto Orochimaru's whole. And he showcased his rage, his malice and his horrendous wrath.

Blood erupted from Orochimaru's chest as the point of the Kusanagi pierced his skin. It was dragged through his body by a force unknown. Orochimaru stared in horror as his own blade betrayed him.

"And you should have killed me when you had the chance!" Naruto's opened his grip.

The Kusanagi shattered into a thousand violent shards. Orochimaru exploded as the pieces tore him apart. His remains splattered across the wreckage in an unrecognizable slaughter. The last remnant of the legendary shinobi.

Konoha's war ended before Tenten's eyes as its greatest foe was shredded like cheap cheese. But she felt no joy, no relief that the fighting was at an end. Because Tenten had just seen the impossible. And now its cause was focused on them.

Naruto, or the shell that remained, looked at them with eyes hardened and cruel. He tilted forward, and just before it looked like he may fall he flashed forward and halted before them, pressing them with a breeze.

Tenten cupped her nose at the smell, rotten and dead. She felt his gaze pass over the frozen squad, and knew her teammates were all wondering the same thing: would they be next?

But Naruto did not raise his hand against them. He asked calmly, "How long has it been?"

He recognized them, she realized. She hastily answered, "Fi-fifteen years. Since you disappeared on the Sasuke retrieval mission."

Naruto nodded and looked away as he thought. He was distant, as if this were only a dream he realized he was in, and had just learned how to control it. About what, they wouldn't know until it was too late.

He looked at her with a determined gaze and said, "Take me...home."

 **A/N**

This story began as a much larger idea, where Naruto was transported to the KOTOR timeline and became Revan. But I decided that story was mostly a retelling and not worth the time it would take to do properly, but the part of his return to Konoha in the period between meeting the Sith emperor and discovering the star forge stuck as an original and interesting idea. It's stayed with me for years now, and it's been growing more thorough and detailed with time. This story is the culmination of that idea, and I'm incredibly proud to present it. I hope you'll accompany me on this journey, I look forward to sharing it with you.


	2. The Prisoner's Tale

**The Will Of The Force**

 **Chapter 2**

 **The Prisoner's Tale**

 **~I~**

Kiba Inuzuka lived a life of few regrets. They went against his personal philosophy of making the best of every moment. He held an optimistic view of the world, even with decisions that hadn't played out as he expected. These were learning experiences, chances for him to grow and improve. They'd help make him the man he was today, and he liked being that man. If he was somehow given a time jutsu and a chance to undo any past mistake, or take a leap where he'd hesitated before, he would pass it by in a heartbeat. But there were still a few choices in his life he secretly pined for a do-over. Volunteering for gate guard duty was at the top of his list.

At first the job sounded like a personal gift from the Hokage herself, wrapped in gold packaging with a pretty red bow on top. Just as he was starting to go steady with that cat girl, he was handed a job with set hours that never took him outside the village. He was guaranteed to be home every day before the sun had set, and that sounded just fine to him. He cursed himself for being so naive.

Guard duty was BORING! It rivaled watching paint dry, which he'd actually done once when they repainted the frame! He'd worn a small groove in the wood from rapping his fingers against it, and his chair had become disturbingly comfortable as if his body was reshaping it. He and Akamaru were putting on a few pounds from all the sitting.

But the worst part was watching all the teams leave after they checked out with him and Shino. He started making up stories for them in his head, like he was a child idolizing great heroes. This squad was going to infiltrate a crime syndicate. That squad was going to race along the river to deliver invaluable intelligence, arriving just in time to save the day. And he would still be sitting here in his overly comfy chair. What he wouldn't give for an actual B-rank mission again!

Shino elbowed his side to get his attention. It was the most stimulation he'd had all day"Kiba, my bugs have spotted Team Gai returning. There's a fifth person with them they don't recognize."

Kiba perked up. Was something exciting actually happening? "Hold on. Akamaru!" His companion lifted himself at his side, his tail wagging with all of the day's unspent energy. He concentrated chakra into his nose and sniffed the air. He caught Team Gai's familiar mixed scent, but it was overpowered by some gruesome rot. He swiftly covered his nose, "Ugh! It's nasty!" Akamaru whimpered and pawed at his nose as if to wipe it away.

Shino stood, "Keep vigilant."

Kiba agreed, as it was their duty. But whatever this was, it was traveling with Team Gai. They must be bringing this person back with them. Maybe they'd found one of Orochimaru's victims while scouting that hideout. It wouldn't be the first time.

They spotted the team down the road, they weren't rushing. Kiba and Shino watched carefully, noting Neji's robes were stained with faded blood. Weren't they on a scouting assignment? Maybe something went wrong, it was hardly the first time he'd seen a team return bloodied from a non-combat assignment. The worst ones were missions into enemy territory without proper inoculations. He'd seen shinobi with boils, swelling and a whole manner of horredness only nature could be cruel and creative enough to inflict.

Team Gai stepped up to the gate looking relieved. The fifth figure was clothed in what must have been Neji's spare robes. They were several sizes too big, and the hem had been stripped to keep him from tripping on it. Given his limp, he had enough difficulty moving without it. Kiba did his very best to maintain his professional demeanor as he noted the hollowed face, and the incredible stench of decay.

Kiba greeted the returning party, "Welcome back! So, things didn't go as planned? I'm glad you're all okay," he said. Shino kept silent and unreadable.

Gai stepped through the gate. He let out a short comforting sigh, how good it was to be home again. Kiba was surprised, Gai was not a reserved shinobi. Whatever happened must've been a good story.

"Does anyone need medical attention?" Shino asked.

Gai hesitated, "...No, not right now. We need to meet with the Hokage first. There's been a change in the, ah, we need to tell her in person."

Kiba nodded uncertainly. The rest of the team formed up behind Gai. Except for the fifth. He moved around them and began moving into the village.

"Whoa!" Kiba stepped in front of him. "Now where do you think you're-"

The man raised a withered hand and cast it aside.

Kiba felt his entire body shift left as if tugged by a rope. He glanced left as the dust settled, there was a line in the dirt from where he'd slid. Which the intruder was now crossing.

"Ah, hey! What the-!" Kiba began.

"Let him go. You won't stop him." Gai instructed.

Kiba spun around to Gai, "What do you mean? Who is he?"

Gai's expression softened, "So you didn't recognize him either..."

"Okay, enough dancing about. Tell me what's going on."

Gai took a breath and said, "It's Naruto. We found him at the hideout."

"Naruto?" Kiba whipped around. The withered prune of a man stopped at the nexus between all the different roads. He stared up at the Hokage Mountain as if in a trance, perhaps he was. The people were staring and giving him a wide berth. A little girl was pointing to him and crying near one of the street shops. "It can't be...he died!"

"Disappeared, on the Sasuke retrieval mission. We never found a body," Lee corrected. "He's been Orochimaru's prisoner ever since. He was kept at the hideout."

Kiba's eyes went to the blood staining Neji's white robe. It couldn't be...if Naruto was the anomaly, was Naruto the one who did this? "Did he..." Kiba began and pointed to his robes.

Neji shook his head, "It wasn't him. Our information was incomplete. The hideout wasn't abandoned, Orochimaru was there."

"Oro...Orochimaru?" The Snake? They'd fought The Snake and come out alive?

Tenten confirmed, almost as if she still couldn't believe it herself. "Yeah, him and his right hand."

Kiba's blood began rushing, his heart beating like a drum of war. Shino said, "We need to report to the Hokage immediately. She'll want to rally her forces to trap him while we have the chance."

Gai shook his head, "He's already dead. Naruto killed him."

The adrenaline rush came to a screeching halt. That just wasn't possible. Naruto looked worse than any refugee he'd ever seen. That he was alive, he could believe. He had to, here was the proof, as decrepit as it was. But this was going too far. "No, no that can't be."

"He did. He used the same power he used to move you."

Gai reached into his flack jacket and presented the hilt of a sword. The hilt was a familiar tan, the color of muddy stone, with a cracked green emerald bringing some luxury to the design. It was the hilt of Kusanagi. A cracked shard of metal was all that remained of the blade.

"We don't know how, but he reached inside Orochimaru and pulled the sword out of his body. Then he made it explode. There wasn't enough of Orochimaru left to bring back." Gai explained.

Kiba remembered how Naruto moved him, with a wave of his hand. Were they trying to tell him that Orochimaru, scourge of Konoha, was killed with the same effort? With the wave of a hand!? It as inconceivable...and terrifying.

Shino said, "What is this power? Was it caused by Orochimaru's experiments?"

"We don't know. He's said very little since the incident. We asked, but he refused to explain until we reached the village. He said he'll only explain it once."

Kiba spun around and saw Naruto starting down the main street. The Hokage building was waiting for him at the very end.

Shino spoke, "Gai, stay with Naruto. I will brief the Hokage, we will be ready for him. Kiba, you and Akamaru stay at the gate."

Kiba howled, "Hey, what!? Why do I have to stay?"

"Someone must stand the watch." Shino said before shunshining away.

"That guy!" Kiba growled. He really wanted to hear it! He sighed and looked to Team Gai, "Well, get going. Fill me in later, okay?" Gai nodded and he left after Naruto with the rest of his team close behind.

Kiba slumped in his chair next to Akamaru and buried his head in his arms. "Worst decision ever, buddy."

"Arf!" Akamaru agreed.

 **~II~**

Naruto Uzumaki was alive. After all this time. And he'd allegedly killed Orochimaru with some unknowable force. Tsunade wanted to say it was impossible, that she couldn't believe it. But fifteen years leading this great village had shown her how little she understood of possibility. She'd seen reports of untrained civilians who found themselves in hostile situations, and defeated half a dozen trained jonin to survive. She'd heard tales of men who could rain meteors from the sky. That last one she hadn't believed, until she'd seen it herself in Grass. Now she'd give yet another absurd claim a chance to be proven.

She set aside an unrelated intelligence report and stored her sake. She wondered how he'd changed. Time changed people fast enough. But fifteen years captivity, and maybe worse, made her wonder if any fragment remained of the boy who inspired her.

She'd cursed herself for giving him that necklace. When he never returned she'd assumed he had been a third victim to that cursed trinket. How could she have been such a fool, how dare she begin to believe again? It had cost another good boy his life, she'd thought. But now he was back. Had she been wrong all this time? She dared to hope, but didn't let herself go too far.

Shino opened the door, "Lady Hokage, they're here."

"Send them in," She said. She knit her fingers and waited, but not long. He was the first to follow Shino in. He was just as shrunken and rotted as he'd described. The only life she could find was in his ice-blue eyes, and it was so far away.

"It's been a long time." He said in an unfamiliar voice. It was thick and powerful against his weary frame, and so foreign. It shouldn't surprise her, but it reminded her how things had changed. Team Gai followed him inside.

"It has, Naruto." She turned to Gai. "Why wasn't he immediately sent to medical?"

Gai was about to respond, but Naruto cut him off. "Because I insisted. I've survived fifteen years without medical attention, another hour won't kill me. I know you have questions."

Oh how she did. She motioned to Gai, "Take your team to the hospital and get treatment for yourselves. And send a message to Sakura, she's to head to my office immediately." Naruto needed treatment quickly, no matter what he said. And Sakura was among the best she had.

"Yes, Lady Hokage." Gai glanced at Naruto, who stared back motionlessly, before departing with his team.

Naruto turned back to Tsunade, his eyes boring through her seeing everything. Tsunade felt disturbed, and curious. She had so many questions floating through her mind she hardly knew where to begin. Should she ask about his conditions? Orochimaru's experiment? Or this strange power no one who'd seen it could explain? She was worried what the answers could be. What had her disgrace of a former comrade done to that brave child?

"Are you afraid?" Naruto asked.

Tsunade perked up, "Why?"

"I sense it." Tsunade twitched. What did he think he was, a bloodhound for emotions? "I mean no offense. Fear can be a wonderful thing. It keeps us sharp and drives us to improve. We become better, and stronger because of it. Fear is the beginning of everything."

If she held out any hope that Naruto was still that hopeful boy from fifteen years ago, his short sermon wasn't helping. This was not the Naruto she remembered. "And what made you appreciate fear?"

Naruto said, "Because it saved me."

Tsunade peeked at Shizune, she was taking notes. Good, professional and on point as always. "Go on, Naruto. Tell us everything. We're listening."

Naruto's lips cracked into what may have been a smile, but his face was too warped to tell.

"I woke up in a lab strapped to a table. My mouth was gagged, I couldn't speak. But Kabuto did. He wouldn't stop. He told me how wonderful he'd beaten Konoha to retrieving my body. He told me all the wonderful things he could discover by experimenting on me, dissecting me...and he did. Over, and over. I was his project for a very long time. I couldn't escape, and I couldn't use the Fox. They sealed it and kept it silent. And then one day, it stopped. Something changed."

"What happened?" Tsunade asked.

"First, how many years was it before you rescued Sasuke?"

"Not years. ANBU infiltrated the compound and rescued Sasuke three months after his desertion."

Naruto nodded and processed this, "I see. So it only felt like years." His face shifted, his skin stretching so far they might break, "When he was gone, Orochimaru came to me for the first time. He told me how Konoha came for their traitor, for the last Uchiha, and left me to rot. Because I was their monster." His voice sharpened, "He threw me in a cell and told me he was abandoning me too, because I was no longer useful. He closed the door and trapped me in darkness. I don't know if that's when he abandoned the base. The outside world was lost to me. I was left alone, to die in that cell."

Tsunade's heart was gripped by guilt. They hadn't known he was there. If they had...Naruto could have been spared all of that pain. At least, everything that would come next in his story. Had Sasuke known he was there? If he did, why had he kept it to himself all this time? "How did you get out? And what put you back in?"

"Nothing. I was there until Team Gai arrived."

"Then how did you survive? There can't have been any food or water."

"There wasn't. I knew I was going to starve, and dehydrate. I held out hope for the first few days, at least I think they were days. I believed someone would come for me too. I convinced myself the door was going to open any moment. I would see my friends again and know I wasn't abandoned. They would come for me and prove all of his words were lies...and when they didn't..." Naruto's fist curled weakly, there wasn't much muscle left, "I got angry. Then I got desperate. I did...anything I could to prolong my time. I wanted to live."

Naruto heaved, his throat was weak and dry. Shino circled the desk and handed him a flask of water. Naruto looked from his hand to his face, "Thank you," he said and accepted it. He swallowed several gulps. Water trailed down his sunken cheeks and chin.

He finished and continued, "Finally I couldn't move at all. I accepted that I was going to die in that blinding absence of light. My body was failing. It refused to obey my commands. All I could do was think. I thought about everything that led me to that black prison. And finally, in the darkness, I opened myself up to fear and hate. I let all my pent-up aggression flow freely against a world that abandoned me...and something was listening. And when I unleashed my rage, it made itself known."

"What as it?" Tsunade asked. Was this the answer?

She registered Shino flinching.

"The Force," Naruto spoke, his entire demeanor changed to reverence, "It came to me in the darkness. It whispered comfort directly into my soul. And it saved me from death, nurturing my physical form as it opened my mind to...a galaxy of possibility." Naruto's eyes grew wide with excitement. "I was trapped in shadow and darkness. But The Force told me to never fear the dark. For the light was nothing more than an illusion. All that it showed us was a world of falsehood and lies that blinds us to the truth. It is only when you shut your eyes that you open your mind and discovered...everything the light was trying to hide. And when I did, It showed me everything."

"It showed me visions of ages long, long ago, of worlds far, far away. It showed me all that was, is, and most of all, what could be. It taught me its secrets and opened itself to my control. For The Force is here, in every corner of this existence." Naruto closed his eyes in ecstasy, I can feel it even now. Between us, the mountains, the trees…the stars. It binds us all together."

"So why didn't you escape before? If this...force is as great as you say, why were you trapped for fifteen years?"

"The Force taught me to be patient. It knew my time would come. So I listened, I listened to its unfathomable voice for fifteen years and expanded my mind beyond what anyone untouched by The Force could comprehend. And as The Force promised me, my time came when the Snake returned."

Tsunade had heard enough, too much to ponder for one day. "It's difficult to believe. An invisible force."

"It doesn't matter if you believe. We have become reliant on our internal chakras and cut ourselves off from the greater Force. But It has not forgotten us. I know, I feel. And It makes me strong."

The door to the office slammed open. Tsunade's eyes flashed to the door as Naruto slowly turned. Sakura was standing in the doorway, staring at a ghost. "Naruto..."

Naruto tilted his head, "Sakura. You've grown."

Tsunade had an idea of what Sakura wanted to say. Her pupil had confided in her many times the guilt she'd felt, making Naruto promise to bring Sasuke back alive. She'd blamed herself for his disappearance for many years. And now he was returned. Was she at all relieved? And how would she feel once she saw how much of him had been lost?"

"Sakura!" Tsunade called.

She went rigid, "Yes, ma'am?"

"Take Naruto to the hospital, get him the treatment he needs. We'll speak again once he's recovered."

Sakura paused, then nodded, "Yes, right away!" She approached Naruto as if he were an animal that would run if frightened. She offered her hand slowly. "Here, I can-"

Naruto smiled assuredly, "I am not fragile as I appear. The Force is with me, and so I am strong."

"Be that as it may, I want you treated immediately." Tsunade said.

Naruto relented, "As you wish." He turned to Sakura, "Lead on. I will not fall."

Sakura nodded uncertainly, "Yeah...come with me, we'll go to the hospital."

Naruto was about to step out, but paused. "I'll keep the hilt of the Kusanagi. I'll be needing it."

Tsunade raised an eyebrow. She wasn't sure about letting him keep such a valuable artifact as a war trophy, "For what?"

"The Force will guide me."

Tsunade was about to respond, when Naruto reached out. The handle was ripped from her desk and flew into his hand. He pocketed it while ignoring their shock. "My thanks." He returned to Sakura, "Come now, your Lady issued a command."

Tsunade watched them leave, and turned to Shino. "Did you plant bugs on him when you gave him the water?"

Shino nodded, "Yes, to get an idea of his health and chakra. But...they died."

"How? Was it some disease?" She asked. If it was, and it acted this quickly, Naruto would have to be quarantined.

Shino shook his head, "No...all the air was ripped from their lungs."

Tsunade nodded. So whatever new power Naruto had, it was incredibly precise. And worrisome. If he could kill Orochimaru as easily as Gai described, what was keeping him from doing the same to anyone in the village? If he'd given into his rage towards...everything, as he'd said, would he do the same with anyone in the village? Did he hold any vendettas against the people of Konoha? Could he really be blamed if he did?

And what was this power? This force? It couldn't be all that he'd described, the world would not be ignorant of something so enormous and all-encompassing. It was likely the Fox, gripping his mind. She would come to understand, and he would get the help he needed. Whatever illusion he was under, they would help him break it and recover.

She had to remember as quickly as he'd attacked Orochimaru, he'd done nothing to anyone from Konoha. He was still a shinobi of the leaf. Their comrade had suffered for their village for fifteen years. Konoha would not forget.

 **A/N**

I want to delve into the philosophy behind The Force, both the light side and the dark. I'm usually not a fan of stories that establish clear distinctions between good and evil, but I know they have their place and I certainly enjoy them. Star wars and The Lord of the Rings are two of my favorite stories, despite being heavily about clearly defined good vs evil. People are more complex than two opposing moralities. And I do intend to make this a story about people. George R. R. Martin once said the only thing worth writing about is the human heart in conflict with itself. I tend to agree.

You may have noticed that I'm using perspective to write this story. I enjoy the perspective format, I feel that constraint of viewpoints can add to a story more than an open third person perspective. It lets me delve into one character at the time, and we see the story occur through their eyes. You'll also note that none have been from Naruto's perspective. This is absolutely intentional. ;)

I'll be publishing the next chapter of The Road To Paradise later today, I need to finish a few more things before it's ready. I have a tentative date for chapter 3 of this story set for 3 weeks from now, maybe sooner or later depending on how much time I have.

Thank you for reading, and please leave a review!


	3. Requited

**The Will of the Force**

 **Chapter 3**

 **Requited**

 **~I~**

"Let's hear it for Naruto! The man who refused to die!" Kiba shouted.

"Hear!" The crowd, composed of the former rookie nine, team Gai and as many friends as Kiba could gather, raised their glasses in honor of their long-lost comrade. The honored gave them a small smile and raised his own, a small glass of top-shelf sake paid for by his friends. Together the group tilted back their drinks.

Sakura finished her own and turned to Naruto, who was seated to her left by her request. He was still her patient even after a tentative discharge, and she wanted to stay close. He was lazily observing his drink, which was still full. "What's wrong?" She asked.

Naruto said, "Never had this before. I was underage."

Sakura grimaced, she should have known. There were so many life events that Naruto had missed. Of course she wouldn't have been surprised to hear he did break the rules in his reckless genin days, but she shouldn't have assumed. Naruto felt so strange to her, he had none of the impulsiveness of his younger self. How much of him was left, and what had replaced everything he'd lose? She still felt like she was walking on eggshells around him.

Kiba stood and cheered, "Well we can't have that! Come on, drink!"

Lee pumped his fist, "Osu! Feel the fire burn its way down to your roots!"

Ino joined, "Come on, you'll love it!"

Naruto gazed at those who cheered him on. He shrugged and downed the cup in a single swig. He didn't pucker or flinch.

Kiba was impressed, "Whoa! We've got a natural!" He laughed, most of the crowd joined him.

Shikamaru grinned, "How's it taste?"

Naruto eyed the cup carefully, "Disgusting."

Kiba laughed harder. Bless him, he was trying so hard to keep everyone's spirits up. "It grows on you the more you drink. We'll make sure you have plenty of practice."

Naruto looked amused, "Are you trying to make me an alcoholic?"

Kakashi, who was on Naruto's other side, patted his shoulder, "We're not losing you to drink after just getting you back."

Hinata clasped her hands beneath the table, "I don't like the taste either..."

Naruto gazed at her like a man remembering a fond dream. His eyes were locked on her until she looked up. Their eyes became joined, Naruto held her gaze and refused to let it go. "I can't say why, but I'm glad we agree."

Sakura watched them cautiously. Hinata started blushing, she might have wanted to look away, but Naruto refused to let her go. She fitfully played with the hem of her dress and tried not to turn into a tomato, and failed.

Neji shifted uncomfortably, it was his cousin, after all. But this was Naruto's night and he didn't say anything. Lee, however, had no such tact. "Like something you see, Naruto?" He grinned.

Oh shit, the alcohol was already affecting him!

Naruto didn't turn, "That, is between us." Hinata gasped and finally looked away, she couldn't hold his gaze. Naruto smiled and closed his eyes, letting her be for a time.

Konohamaru snickered at his end of the table, "Still the boss!"

Iruka smiled at Naruto, he was seated directly across from him. "It's good to see you've grown. I hope we can make up for lost time."

It disturbed Sakura to see Naruto so casually engaged, as if nothing was strange. She'd been working with him over the past two weeks to get him healthy, and she'd mostly succeeded, though he was still far too lean. If he wasn't wearing a robe, you could count his ribs.

In two weeks, she'd done everything she could to restore Naruto's body. She'd sacrificed sleep working day and night to repair damaged cells and supply his body with enough nutrition to facilitate his recovery. His body was in even worse shape than it looked, and that was an achievement. He should have died five times over from the state of his internal organs. His stomach had shrunken to the size of a finger from hunger. His nerves were withered, according to her tests he shouldn't even be able to move his right hand. But something kept his heart pumping and his cells dividing, just enough to stay alive. It wasn't medically possible, but here he was. Even Tsunade hadn't found the cause, and that scared her. He was a medical marvel, other medic-nin had tried to sneak around her back to view her results.

He was finally stable enough to be released, with obvious restrictions, and Kiba and Kakashi had insisted on welcoming Naruto back in style. They'd invited all of Naruto's closest friends in the shinobi forces. Including the ones that hadn't ended things with him on good terms.

Her eyes drifted to Sasuke sitting at the corner of the table. He was doing his best to remain cool and unnoticed, but Sakura could see the signs of his disturbance. He was flustered and uncertain, and she was one of the few here who could tell. Sasuke had many acquaintances and few friends since his return.

Chouji had his eyes locked on something too. The pile of meat roasting merrily on the barbecue. "Ooh yeah baby, you know how I like it!"

Tenten sighed as she flipped the meat, "Please tell me you realize how creepy that sounds."

Chouji didn't respond. As soon as the meat was browning he broke his chopsticks and grabbed a piece, shouting "Thank you for this meal!"

"Chouji!" Ino stopped him, "The guest of honor eats first! You know the customs!"

Chouji looked upset, "But it's right under my nose, Naruto won't mind..."

Naruto said, "Not really. But tradition is tradition." He raised his chopsticks and opened them. The piece of meat went flying from Chouji's sticks to his own. "Thank you for this meal," he said and ate it as the crowd looked on. He chewed normally, as if the taste of meat was still normal after fifteen years of starvation. Some were in awe, it was the first time seeing his power.

Kakashi looked on curiously, "Oh, so you do possess telekinesis. Interesting."

Lee downed another shot of sake and exclaimed, "Not just any telekebrishist! It was the force!"

Sasuke snorted, "The force? Sounds silly."

Naruto's head whipped and caught Sasuke's eye. Sakura couldn't catch Naruto's expression, but it made Sasuke wince. He blinked and tried to look away casually, and failed.

Naruto turned back to the crowd, "I'm sure you've all heard the story. Please, eat. I'd like today to be a day of celebration."

Chouji regained his spirits after losing the first bite and shouted with joy, "Yes! Let us feast!"

Sakura watched as the juicy slabs of meat were passed around, with Naruto receiving the best cuts. She got up, "Excuse me, I'll be back."

She left for the ladies room and took care of her business. When she stepped out, Sasuke was waiting for her. She was surprised, "Sasuke, what are you doing?"

Sasuke scowled, "I can't stay in there. He keeps looking at me."

Was that all? She sighed, "Of course he's going to stare at you, it's been fifteen years. And that was when you tried to kill him."

Sasuke shook his head, "No, that isn't it. It's something deeper. It's like he's not just looking at me...he's seeing everything. It's like I'm a book for him to open up and read," Sasuke grimaced. "This was a mistake. I shouldn't be here."

Sasuke turned to leave. Sakura felt her anger rising. Since his return from Orochimaru he'd done little to win back the trust of his former comrades. He'd become the man who cost them a friend in his blind pursuit of power. Some refused to see him as anything else, no matter how much time had passed. She was one of the few people who struggled letting him back into their lives, and tried to forgive the crimes he'd committed. But this was not something Sakura would let go.

She reached out and grabbed Sasuke's wrist, "You're not going anywhere, Sasuke."

Sasuke's eyes flared with shock, but he quickly hid it, "Why shouldn't I?"

"None of this would have happened if you hadn't left. The very least you can do is be here for him now!" Sakura lectured him.

Sasuke stared, he didn't say a word. But he knew he wasn't going to get her to back down. He gave her a slight nod and she let go, feeling satisfied.

He followed her back into the room, which was much livelier than when they'd left.

"Ooh! Naruto! Your force is nothing to my flaming youth!" Lee shouted as he staggered on his feet. Naruto looked amused.

Sakura grimaced, "Lee's had too much to drink..."

Gai stepped up to his student, "That's enough Lee, time to-"

"Horyaa!" Lee grabbed Gai's hand and flipped him to the floor. He crashed onto the table and it collapsed, spilling meat and sake everywhere.

Asuma stood up, "Dammit! Who was supposed to be watching his glass!?"

Shikamaru stood, "I'll hold him! Chouji, you-Naruto!" The blonde was on his feet and approaching Lee, "Get back!"

Lee grinned and slurred, "That's what I like! Show me your fire!"

Lee launched a devastating punch at Naruto before anyone could react. Sakura felt Sasuke rush across the room to stop Lee, being the only one still standing who could catch him in time. But Naruto moved first. He waved his hand and Lee's fist veered sharply to the side. He fell and rolled on his back. Naruto leaned down and placed the tip of his fingers on Lee's forehead. The boy immediately went limp and lifeless.

"Lee!" Tenten shouted from concern. She stopped across from Naruto and examined her downed teammate. He was snoring softly on the floor. "What did you do?"

"Nothing lasting. He'll wake once his senses have returned. He's taught me a valuable lesson about the dangers of alcohol. I'll remain abstinent." Naruto said coolly. He turned to the crowd, scanning his former friends, "This has been lovely, but I should take my leave."

Kiba got up, "Hey, you don't have to leave yet! We'll get a new table, it'll be fine!"

Naruto held up a hand, "I'm still recovering, I shouldn't be out so late. Isn't that right, Sakura?"

Sakura stiffened, but responded, "Yeah, best to rest when you need it."

"As the doctor says." Naruto said and began shaking the hands of everyone who arrived, even bidding the sleeping Lee farewell. He approached Sakura and held her hand. His grip was strong, his muscles shouldn't be this taut yet. "Thank you for everything. I can see myself back. Please enjoy the rest of the night, you deserve it."

"Of course, Naruto." She said.

He turned to Sasuke next, Sakura saw his gaze sharpen and warp. Now she understood why Sasuke was so disturbed, he was looking straight through him with eyes sharper than any kunai. "Sasuke." He offered his hand.

She caught a bead of sweat trail down his neck, but he gave Naruto his hand and shook it. "Naruto."

Naruto lingered a moment longer, until Sasuke finally looked away. Then he went to Hinata, and his warmth returned, "I was so happy to see you again."

Hinata's recovery was quickly undone, "Th-thank you...you too, Naruto." She offered her hand to shake. Instead Naruto took it and kissed it. Sakura' covered her face in shock, how was Naruto being so forward?

He turned to the crowd once more and tilted his head in parting before walking out the door. He stepped into the night and was swallowed by darkness.

 **~II~**

Hinata closed the door to her room and heaved a heavy sigh. She hadn't expected tonight to be so intense. His kiss had made her heart pound harder than any training session she could remember. She must have looked so foolish. She was a grown woman, why was she acting like that girl from the academy?

Maybe because that girl never had the chance to find closure. Naruto had always been that pillar of strength and determination, someone to admire and strive to emulate. He was the light that drove her towards progress, proof that even a failure like her could become something greater. She'd admired his will and always desired even a fraction of it. She wanted him to notice her too.

And then he was just gone.

She'd cried. She'd mourned. And eventually she realized she had to keep living. But she never really moved on, not from him. She strove to make his determination her own, to show that even if his life had ended, a part of him would always remain in the world. And it wasn't just her. Neji, Gaara and all of the rookies, even Sasuke, their lives had been changed because of him. That was his legacy.

But now he was back. He was alive, through that same willpower and determination. Tenten says he's changed and there was something terrifying about him when he was freed and killed Orochimaru. But whatever it was, she didn't see it. Not when he was staring at her with those warm blue eyes. Like she was all that mattered in the world...could that have just been her mind playing tricks on her? It must have been. Why would he care about her after all these years? And why did her feelings come rushing back? It was like they'd never left her...

"Hinata."

She stiffened. His voice, so smooth and soft as silk. A voice people would listen to just to feel warm.

She turned. He was by her windowsill dressed in the same dark robes he'd worn to the dinner. What was he doing here? "Naruto?"

"I had to see you again. There are things I wanted to tell you that I couldn't say with the others." Naruto smiled warmly like in her childhood dreams.

"Wh-what?" She asked, her brain failing her.

Naruto stepped closer, she felt herself glowing with his every step, every inch that no longer separated them. "When I was trapped, I lost much of the fire that kept me going. I lost many memories in the darkness. But I remembered you. I remembered your kindness and your acceptance, when everyone else wanted to push me away. That warmth fueled me in the darkness and kept me going long until I was finally free." He stepped lose to her and reached out, grabbing her hand and holding it tenderly. "I wanted to thank you. For caring about me when no one else would, and even when I never noticed."

He held her gaze, Hinata was enraptured by his eyes. This was exactly what she'd always wanted to hear…

"I want to be closer with you. I want to feel that warmth you gave me every day, and I want to share mine with you. If you'll have me." Naruto smiled at her as if he already knew her answer.

Hinata thought she was dreaming, for what else could this be? How could the boy, now the man she'd idolized for so long, be looking at her so lovingly? How could he be propositioning her just like she'd imagined since girlhood? And how could he be living up to all of her expectations, and even exceeding them?

Hinata decided not to question it. It was happening, and she was not going to turn him away. She would accept him into her life, and see where this road went. Together, with him. She knelt into him and hugged him, "I will. Please, have me too."

She felt Naruto's arms wrap around her body. His tiny frame felt so safe and secure, she didn't want to be anywhere else in the world.

Naruto rested her head on her shoulder. It was a good weight. She didn't notice the dark grin dominating his face.

 **~III~**

Diabutsu rubbed his round head to ward off the stress he was feeling and urged his mules onward. The goods in his cart rattled pleasantly behind him as he traveled through the barren streets of Konoha. He tried to keep his eyes towards the front, no wandering now. He could not afford to look suspicious, not when he was this close.

He approached the final barrier to his freedom and success: the great gates of Konoha. He spotted his companion speaking with the night guards as they examined their paperwork. Excellent, one less obstacle he'd have to worry about. He only hoped they weren't giving him any trouble.

He stopped his cart as the shinobi waved him down. "Hey there Diabutsu. Awful late to start a journey, wouldn't you say?"

Diabutsu attempted to sound pleasant, "Waiting until dawn gives our competition a half day's head start! Just got word that Konoha honey is a hot item over in Grass! We gotta move fast while we have the chance!"

One of the chunin laughed, "No wonder you do so well. Always cornering the market!"

His partner, Kyosuke, agreed, "It's a dog eat dog world, not just for you shinobi. We gotta stay on our toes to put food on the table."

"You'd still have that honey. But I'm sure this deal will have you feasting for some time." The chunin handed them back their papers. "Just a quick inspection and we'll have you two on your ways."

Kyosuke nodded and got onto the cart. He and Daibutsu exchanged worried glances. If they were going to get caught, this is when it would happen.

The pair of chunin climbed into the rear of their cart and examined all of the crates he'd loaded aboard. They opened three at random and examined the honey inside, and were satisfied. "Looks good! Safe travels!"

"You too." Daibutsu sighed, then paused, "I mean-"

One of the chunin laughed, "I know what you mean. Get going! Before you're too tired to see straight!"

"My thanks. Have an uneventful watch!" Daibutsu said with genuine excitement. He cracked the whip and the donkeys dragged him and his cargo beyond the village walls into the wider world.

He and his partner were silent for some time, until they were past any of the routine patrol routes. The moon was high when they finally spoke about their real cargo.

"So it's really true? The Kyuubi jinchuriki has returned?" Kyosuke asked.

Diabutsu nodded solemnly, "Yes, after all these years. Word is he's gone mad, speaking of some all powerful force."

"Heh, maybe he found religion in whatever hole he was hiding in."

"I don't care if he believes in flying faeries and gummy bear volcanoes as long as he has the Fox."

"Heh, now there's a thought."

"Here's a better one: get this information to Akatsuki. God has been searching for the last jinchuriki since it disappeared. It's time to complete his plans."

 **A/N**

I don't have anything more to add. I hope I've left you curious now that the plot is moving. Please review and tell me what you think.


	4. Red Rising

**The Will of the Force**

 **Chapter 4**

 **Red Rising**

 **~I~**

He dashed through the trees like an arrow with the wind at his back. His eyes darted to take in every detail, every shrub, branch and twig in his way, and weave around them like water flowing downstream. A shinobi moving through the forest was not a task. It was art.

Sasuke vaulted over a thick branch, and dived for the forest floor. He skimmed the surface of a thorny bush and dashed between the trees. When the path became impassable from below, he leaped at a tree, leapfrogging to the next, and again until his hair brushed the canopy of the forests.

The trees were passing like a blur, but he wasn't satisfied. It wasn't enough, he was still too slow. Push faster. Harder. Break through the limits! Itachi had, and he would never hope to defeat his brother one day if he couldn't do the same.

He heard the swishing of scattered leaves behind him. He turned, Lee was fast on his heels. His cocky grin was insufferable, "Come on, Sasuke! That all you got?"

Sasuke scowled, "Not even close. Just try and keep up."

Lee smirked, "That's my line."

The green beast of konoha was the fire at his heels that pushed him beyond. Their rivalry was one formed out of necessity. The list of those who could challenge the other physically was short, and nonexistent among their closest peers. They both had needed another to measure their progress against. And so, despite the general stigma the Uchiha bore after his punishment for desertion ended and he once again donned a headband, Lee had been one of the few he'd formed a new bond with.

They weren't friends, Sasuke could lose a hand and two fingers and still count those he had on what remained. But they were joined in a shared purpose: to improve, and break the limits of yesterday. So they sparred. They trained. And they forced the other to push themselves to places they'd never thought possible. And it continued to this day, when Sasuke found the drive to go just that little bit faster.

He grabbed a shuriken and wrapped it in wire, then threw it at a distant tree. The shuriken wrapped around one of its powerful branches, Sasuke pulled it taught and swung, arcing low and then blasting through the canopy and into the sky.

He drifted through the air in free-fall. He could see everything. The forests, the mountains, they sky. And he saw his path forward, where the growth was sparsest. But something else grabbed his attention in the distance: a dark dot pressed against a rocky cliff with a spring of blond hair.

Sasuke panicked as he dropped to the forest. He grabbed the first branch within his reach and flipped on top of it, giving up his momentum. Lee was not far behind. He look puzzled as he stopped, "What is it? Did you pull a muscle?"

Sasuke shook his head, "It's Naruto. He's climbing a mountain."

Lee's eyes widened, "How? There's no way he's healthy enough for that!"

Sasuke nodded. He'd last seen Naruto at their celebratory dinner two weeks ago, and hadn't sought him out since. He'd looked ragged then, and according to Lee that was a major improvement from before. What the hell was he thinking, pushing himself so soon?"

"Let's go, before he gets himself killed." Sasuke said. Lee nodded and together the two dropped their training weights. The two were already flying forward when they shattered the ground.

They tore through the forest now that they were unbound, two of the fastest shinobi in the leaf. They would have been blurs to anyone traveling below them. They quickly came to the face of the cliff and bolted to the black dot over halfway up the mountain.

Sasuke raced up the cliff and reached Naruto first. The black was a thin robe he'd wrapped himself in. It looked cheap and humble. The blonde greeted him, "Sasuke, a pleasure as always."

Sasuke stared. Naruto was climbing the mountain with hands and feet, and no safety equipment. He looked to the forest below, it was a long way down. "Sakura told me you weren't to do anything strenuous."

"Sakura knows nothing. I need to prepare. My body must be strong, as my mind and spirit."

Lee reached them, he stood below Naruto in case he fell. "I'm all for self improvement, but even I know you need to pace yourself."

Naruto kept his eyes locked on the cliff above. "And you know nothing, either."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes, why was Naruto being so stubborn? "Do you even remember the tree walking exercise?"

"My chakra system has been damaged beyond repair, I can't use it anymore. Sakura and Tsunade confirmed it."

Lee was stunned. Had Naruto become just like him? No, he remembered that strange power.

Sasuke felt a flash of panic, "Then what are you doing!? This is suicidal!"

Naruto's eyes snapped to Sasuke, who felt like he was being blasted. "I am not the one who should be afraid." He pulled himself higher and grabbed another protruding stone. His sleeve fell and Sasuke caught a glance at his arm. Blood vessels were pulsing and his arm was purple in places, but it was growing stronger and more dense with muscle, and Naruto seemed to feel no pain.

Lee bowed his head and clenched a trembling fist, "Naruto...to push yourself this far..." He looked up, tears of joy and admiration were trailing down his face, "You haven't lost your youthful vigor! Yosh! Keep going, all the way to the top!"

Sasuke almost cursed. Dammit Lee! They should not be encouraging him. He looked back to Naruto, and panicked when he was gone. He almost dashed down to catch him, but Lee was right below him and was still staring proudly up. He turned, Naruto was climbing again. He was nearing the top of the cliff.

Sasuke and Lee trailed behind him as Naruto pushed himself harder than either of them could imagine, moving with deft speed of a man still in his prime. His hands and feet sought holds as if guided on their own, Naruto never lost sight of his goal at the top. And finally his hand reached its peak. He pulled himself over the edge, Lee and Sasuke sped up to join him. But as they peaked, they didn't see him lying on his back panting for breath. Nor was he surveying his success at the top. Naruto was already running ahead to his next challenge.

"Dammit! Naruto!" Sasuke gave chase.

Lee joined him, shouting encouragement. "Such fire! Keep going, Naruto! Show us your flames of youth!"

They caught up to Naruto and ran beside him. Sasuke watched and felt like something was wrong. Naruto should be panting for breath, but his breathing was as easy as if he were reading a book in a lawnchair. He showed no pain, though his muscles must surely be begging for relief. He and Lee frequently pushed their limits, but Naruto was shattering his with ease, which was more than disquieting. It was unnatural.

"Naruto, slow down! We could all use some air," Sasuke demanded, though he started to suspect it was no longer true for Naruto.

"I did not need air in my prison, and I do not need it now. I have The Force."

Lee was skeptical, "That's all well and good, but you still need to rest. No one can go on forever."

"No shinobi can," Naruto mused.

Sasuke saw a crevice up ahead. It was over a hundred feet wide, too far for any of them to jump. "Watch out. It's too far to jump. Let's go left, we can go around."

"No."

Sasuke's eyes narrowed, "What?"

"What do you see?" Naruto asked calmly.

"A great fall that's going to kill your stupid ass!" Sasuke shouted, starting to panic.

"You see impossibility. That is the cursed light blinding you. Close your eyes. In darkness you will see only truth."

Lee started to panic, "Naruto, there's no shame in admitting your limits!"

"My chains are broken. The Force has set me free."

"Not from gravity!"

Naruto closed his eyes, "You do not believe. I understand." His icy eyes flashed open with dark determination. But he saw nothing of this world. "You will."

"No!" Sasuke shouted and reached out to stop him, but Naruto burst forward as if the wind had chosen him. He was at the edge of the cliff before either of them could catch up, and he jumped.

"Naruto!" They shouted in fear.

The blonde sailed through the air, reaching a height neither of them could have expected. But he peaked too soon, and began to fall back into the crevice. "Dammit! Lee, use the gates!" Lee nodded and began to unwind his bandages to catch Naruto.

But then Naruto's hand reached for the precipice.

A massive chunk of earth was dislodged from the rocky crag and shot out across the canyon. Naruto fell right on top of it, and leaped again, this time higher than before. He closed the rest of the gap and landed well on the other side. He kept moving forward into the lush forest and didn't look back.

Sasuke had felt shock before. he'd felt it when he'd first met Orochimaru, when Gaara transformed, when he saw the damage of Naruto's rasengan on the water tower...and most recently, when he learned that Naruto was still alive. But this eclipsed all of that so completely he wondered if it was some deeper paralysis that he had never felt before.

He looked at Lee, who's face was frozen and disturbed, "How did he..." Lee asked. His eyes trembled with uncertainty and fear.

And that was why they could only be rivals, never friends. Where Lee saw the unknown and felt disturbed. Sasuke felt no fear. He saw possibility and power. Power that he'd never seen before. Power his brother could never imagine or hope to achieve.

Power that he envied wasn't his own.

 **~II~**

Consciousness returned. The cogs of the mind began to turn. Numbness turned to cold, then rapidly to warmth and discomfort. But it was nothing he couldn't handle. For it was through this feeling where he'd taken his new name.

He opened his eternal eyes to a cold light. Konan stood in the center of it. She was older, he could count the wrinkles marring her troubled face. But it was still her. He worried when he'd frozen himself in time that she would not be there when he woke up.

"How long?" he asked slowly, for his mouth still had trouble speaking.

"Fifteen years."

"You're sure you've found him?" He already knew. She would not have awoken him if there was any doubt.

"Our scouts are certain. Naruto Uzumaki has returned."

"Where is he now?"

"In Konoha. There's something you should know about his return."

Nagato narrowed his grand eyes. He only cared about the present, what about the past should be so interesting when their dream was almost the future? "Speak quickly."

"Naruto killed Orochimaru after being held in his cell for fifteen years, without food or water. No one knows how he survived. But there's a rumor that he's been preaching of an all-powerful force. He claims it gave him life and power."

Nagato would have scoffed, if he were not a god. "He has found only insanity. His mental condition is of no interest to us. We will capture him and complete our plan. Who is still here?"

"All members of Akatsuki have remained active. Most are wandering, scouting for news of Uzumaki. Deidara remains here on call, and we've rallied thousands of believers to our cause."

"Summon our remaining forces, including Akatsuki. I will speak to Deidara personally. Summon him to the lookout."

Konan nodded, "What will you have him do?"

"End this quickly, if he can. If not, we will rally our forces and take him by force."

"Konoha has been worn down by Orochimaru's guerrilla war, they are unprepared for another large-scale conflict." Konan mused.

"If Deidara fails, we will crush all who stand between us and the Kyubi."

Konan bowed, "It will be done."

Nagato felt a part of himself was lost as Konan left his hall. What remained of the warmth they once shared had been washed away by time. How much had she changed in those fifteen years? What challenges had she faced without him?

He had no time to contemplate it. A chance had finally presented itself. He must turn the wheel with his many hands if true change was to begin.

He closed his eyes and cast his chakra through the air, syncing with the frozen body of a long lost friend. He thawed without feeling and opened his eyes ignorant of the cold. Strong limbs found motion for the first time in ages, blood warmed and began to flow within the corpse as he forced a dead heart to beat. He rose from his storage.

Pain had returned to the world. And soon the world would feel his name.

He flew from his storage into the open air. The rain was falling in the dreary landscape. The tears of a dying world. But he would save it. The suffering he inflicted on this despicable land would be its last.

He climbed higher into the sky, beyond the clouds and into the sunlight. His tower had grown in his isolation. Rain had experienced an era of prosperity while the nations bickered among themselves and Akatsuki kept his paradise secured. And their efforts had risen to pierce the sky, the heavens themselves.

In the tallest room of the tallest tower, Deidara was waiting for him. Pain flew through the window and set down in front of the man. My, time showed no mercy to anyone. Deidara's once handsome face was scarred on one side. Likely an explosion, and even more likely his own. But his eyes had only grown wilder with the years. His thrill for his art remained.

"Well well, looking good, boss. Father Time hasn't touched you," he grinned.

Pain did not return the pleasantries. The world suffered with every moment he lingered. "I have an assignment for you."

"Really? Couldn't have guessed." He crossed his arms and waited. "The Kyubi brat, right?"

Pain nodded. Word still travels fast. "This will be your final mission. Bring him for me. Alive."

"How alive?"

"A pulse is all I require."

"And collateral damage?"

"Don't go seeking out challenges now, Deidara. Not when we're this close."

"But if it comes to me?"

"Eliminate everyone who gets in your way."

Deidara grinned. If this was to be his final assignment, he would make it his masterpiece.

"Take thirty of our best operatives with you. Strike fast and hard, and escape with the jinchuriki before they can rally. The details are up to you."

Deidara couldn't look any more pleased. "I'll have one of the grunts bring him back."

Pain raised an eyebrow, "And you?"

Deidara shrugged, "No offense, but this moon's eye plan of yours sounds too...stale. I could never stand an eternity of happiness. Give me a single moment of grandeur and destruction, and that will be enough for me." Deidara grinned zealously, "Konoha will be my final masterpiece, and I will be the brush, the paint...the trigger!"

Pain felt no emotion as Deidara planned his own death. If he wanted to end his days with his art, so be it. "So long as I receive Uzumaki."

"I'll make sure the men are out of range. Then..." Deidara patted his chest over his last resort.

"Then go. Paint your masterpiece, and I will create mine."

Deidara cast one final look at Pain, one of thanks for the years of opportunity to practice his art across the world. Then he turned and leaped out the window. Pain watched him soar below the clouds on the wings of a clay hawk, never to know true paradise.

And still he felt nothing.

He left through the window and rose higher. He climbed until the air grew thin and his limbs began to freeze. But up so high, he could see the world. He saw its cracks, its faults and its beauty all congealed into one chaotic mess.

The world had changed, and yet it remained exactly the same. There was still war, suffering and death. But it was all coming to an end. By his hand, the world would know one final suffering, and then he would take their pain away once and for all.

For he was God, and his will would be done.

 **A/N**

Slow-moving plots have their place, but this is not what I had planned. I want to get the ball rolling. The Akatsuki were an obvious plot thread I wanted to tie up, given how intricately Naruto is intertwined with it. But if you think that Akatsuki will be the true villains, that's also a matter of perspective.

This chapter title was inspired by a book of the same name. If you enjoy dystopia science-fantasy, I highly recommend it.

Expect another chapter in two weeks. Thank you everyone who took the time to review the previous chapters, I loved reading them and was excited whenever a new one popped up in my inbox. I'm hoping for additional feedback before the meat of the plot begins, so please review!


	5. The Secrets of Power

**The Will of the Force**

 **Chapter 5**

 **The Secrets of Power**

It was a wonderful union of circumstance and cunning that positioned the Hyuga at the center of Konoha politics. Circumstance granted them an invaluable bloodline and the death of their greatest rival, the Uchiha, for which they guiltily reveled. Cunning kept them a pillar above the clan heads, prominent merchants and servants of the Gods in their never-ending dance of influence. It was Hiashi's role as clan head to maintain Hyuga centrality, and keep their name an essential key to power in the ninja village. It was a role Hiashi was born for, though at times he wondered how things would be different if gravity had favored his twin in their mother's womb. Power did not weigh on the backs of the branch family, they did not require the vigilance of a lion surrounded by hungry hyenas who envied his throne.

The song and dance of politics was in full swing today as the Hyuga hosted their monthly festivities, a gathering of Konoha's elite. A pearl-white invitation bearing their seal was a symbol of status, and Hiashi must ensure that it stayed that way. His home, his clan must remain the spoke that turned the wheel of power. He stood by the door, a dutiful host welcoming his guests. Let them remember his face and experience the bounty of his clan. And let them never forget who held the power.

It was all routine, shaking a hundred hands and recalling as many faces, and then impressing them by knowing the name of their guests. Remember a man's name and he will endeavor to never forget yours. It was going quite well, he was practically on autopilot with pleasantries until his firstborn arrived. With the heretic on her arm.

His daughter approached in a pearl-colored kimono decorated with swirling flowers and bowed her respects. "It is good to see you, father."

Hiashi greeted his daughter and turned to her partner. His night-colored robes were plain and stood out in a crowd that dressed their best, yet he wore them as if they were a lord's regalia. He bowed, "Master Hyuga, it is my pleasure to finally meet you."

If not for his years of training, he might have hinted his intense displeasure with the man. When he'd first heard the news of his daughter's chosen partner, he'd calmly proclaimed the informant must be mistaken. The second source made him uneasy, and he'd finally summoned his daughter to explain herself. Oh how her words rang sharply though his ears like a screech. She did not hide the truth, she was proud to be with him. When he demanded she cease their relationship, she did something rare: she was defiant. She would not honor his wishes.

Where had he gone wrong with this one? So soft until she needed to bend! Could she not see the position her gallivanting with the undesirable put her clan in? People were already talking about the heiress and the heretic jinchuriki. If it became known he could not control his heir, he would lose standing among his rivals. He could not let his daughter damage the Hyuga. He needed to force them apart, his daughter needed to learn the importance of clan before self.

He bowed to the pair, "My daughter, you are radiant. And Naruto Uzumaki, the pleasure is mine. Please, enjoy the party."

The pair nodded and proceeded to the main hall of the compound. Naruto caught his eye as he departed and flashed a wicked grin that bragged his immunity. There was nothing he could do to stop him for now.

Hiashi paused before greeting the next guests, closing his eyes and silently igniting his frustrations at his daughter's plus-one. How could Hinata continue to pine for a man fifteen-years gone? Had her childish torch continued to burn all this time? It wasn't natural. Since her growth into true womanhood, no suitor had yet to charm her, many of which he'd personally arranged to increase his clan's influence. All ended in failure, she would not be wooed. How could she be so obsessed?

He pushed it aside for the time. More guests required his hospitality. Show them the generosity of the Hyuga.

Once the final guest had been greeted the gates were closed to the outside and Hiashi headed for the main hall. He lamented that the Hokage could not be here today, but the ripples of Orochimaru's death kept her occupied with matters of state. She had attended his last party to rub elbows, she knew this was where the real deals were made. Perhaps she had nothing she required. For now, at least. No matter, no one with an invitation, not even the Hokage, would miss more than one of his parties in a row.

A branch member announced his arrival to the hall so that everyone knew their core was present. Glasses were lifted into the air in his honor, and more importantly, in the Hyuga's.

He shook hands and charmed his guests as he strode proudly through the lavish chamber. Gold trim from Stone Country, velvet curtains from Cloud, stained glass windows from Sand were among the fineries that broadcast to all the luxury of Konoha's core. And they silently promised to all, remain close to the core, win their favor, and perhaps some of this luxury will trickle down to you. Do not fight the top, join us and together let us savor the finer things in life.

He caught the eye of Shikaku Nara, who motioned for him to join a private conversation. He moved to join him and noticed a third, Shibi Aburame. Together these two made up his closest allies outside of the clan. Deep down he knew to trust them no more than any other, but he knew their interests were aligned. What was good for the Hyuga was good for the Nara and Aburame.

If they spoke together, they must not be overheard. But neither could they be seen leaving together, or the guests would smell a plot. So the three chose to remain in the center of the ballroom, their words drowned out by the live music he'd ensured was just barely too grand and guests enjoying too many drinks. No doubt there were a dozen others scheming just as they would be.

Shikaku greeted him with a smile to keep up appearances. "The black horse surprised you, Hiashi?"

Hiashi scoffed and wondered how many others saw his daughter snuff him in public, "I did not expect my eldest to be so rebellious."

"Then you were not paying attention."

Hiashi easily resisted the urge to glare, "I do not lack for vigilance."

Shibi spoke, "No more than Shikaku while his son courted the woman from Sand." Shikaku looked amused, "Your daughter has loved Uzumaki since he was a child. Surely you noticed."

"Of course. I merely thought it died with the boy."

"But the boy did not die." Shibi said.

"Will you tell me the sky is blue as well?"

Shikaku chuckled and said, "It is unnatural though, their situation has more in common with fairy tales than reality. Could you imagine if this continues? How will Konoha react if he grows into the main family?"

Shibi said, "Negatively, of course. There are many who still view him as the demon, and now as a zealot blaspheming against the Gods. Rumors about his abilities have been spreading. Some even call them 'miracles'. And most disturbing of all, some of the youth are starting to believe. They see Naruto as a prophet of this hypothetical force."

Hiashi nodded, "I've heard the rumors. Most of them are civilians with limited understanding of chakra. His techniques must be an unrecorded ying-yang release, nothing more."

Shikaku asked, "I thought Neji reported there was no chakra when he used his abilities. No sensor feels it flowing through him at all, they think he should be dead."

"We all know the byakugan is not all-powerful, and sensors can be fooled as well. We may not comprehend his jutsu yet, but that doesn't mean we should believe his madness. It is simply new jutsu."

Shibi continued, "Regardless, the point stands. People are already whispering questions, in your own home. The Hyuga would lose favor if Naruto continues to grow closer to the clan heiress. The balance of power would crumble. Konoha would be made weak."

Hiashi said, "That will never be allowed. There are many ways to disrupt romance. Love is sporadic, and theirs will fizzle in time."

Shikaku looked uncertain, "If fifteen years wasn't enough, what will be? This wouldn't be a problem if he'd never been discovered."

Shibi said, "It is strange, our forces cleared the hideout he was discovered in. Hiashi, you were on that strike team fifteen years ago. There was no trace of the boy at the time, correct?"

Hiashi internally stiffened. Yes, that's what he'd told Jiraiya, the strike team leader. No signs of the boy, the prisons were filled with corpses.

But he'd lied. He'd seen the boy clinging to life in the deepest cell with his byakugan. His body was breaking and he barely breathed. And he said nothing. The team unknowingly left him to rot. Had he felt guilty at sacrificing a child, a comrade, to starvation and death. Maybe. But he'd done it for his clan. To break his daughter's fragile shell, and force her to open her eyes to reality. He thought it would make her strong, and put her on the path to be the person who could lead the Hyuga one day.

Yet now it seemed his lesson was being undone. He would not share this secret with anyone, not even his closest allies. For he knew that given too much information on his vulnerabilities, they could exploit him if they found it advantageous.

"Nothing, and no sign that the snake returned to his lair until recently, which is why Team Gai was sent to scout.'

Shibi said, "There's nothing we can do about that now. We must move forward. I advise we separate the two, for a time. But we'll need an excuse."

Shikaku smirked, "His mental state, obviously. He's clearly mentally ill. If we arrange for counseling...ah!"

"What is it?" Hiashi asked.

"If we ask Inoichi to probe his mind under the guise of treatment, we may discover why he feels for Hinata, along with the source of his power. Then, he may be able so subtly alter it so that they begin to crumble. Or he could direct those emotions to another."

Hiashi closed his eyes. Tampering with the mind without authorization from the Hokage was a serious crime in Konoha. Those convicted would lose more than just status, maybe even something physical. But that wasn't what worried him, it had proven necessary in the past. What concerned him was bringing Inoichi into the conspiracy. He did not place the same trust in the man that Shikaku did.

"That's too extreme to consider, at least for now. We have other options that will be just as effective, if slower. The Hyuga clan will not be brought down in a day."

"I disagree. Or are you unaware that they've shared a bed?"

Hiashi lost all momentum, and even his training failed to conceal his shock, "What did you say? How did you learn this?" Did Shikaku have leads inside his clan as well? Perhaps the branch family was aware, and said nothing to him!

"That isn't important. What matters is that as this continues, the chance of their union resulting in a child increase."

Shibi said, "Unless we act soon, the next generation of the Hyuga main family may contain Uzumaki blood."

Hiashi's thought process rapidly shifted, and things were on the table that weren't there before. His future grandchildren would not be fathered by this scoundrel. "If it proves necessary. Reach out if you can, but be subtle. Don't alert him to our intentions for now."

He nodded, "As you wish."

He turned to Shibi, "Have your bugs follow Uzumaki, see if there is anything we can use. Any outbursts or signs of instability that would rationalize his detention."

"It will be done."

"Contact me once you've accomplished this." He left, for they'd been together long enough as it was. Any longer and people would wonder more than they should.

He could have gone anywhere next, but his mind was sharpened, honed in on a single man. And that man was all he could see. He spotted the blonde over by cases containing the treasures of the Hyuga, artifacts of little applicable value, but their immaterial worth was greater than their practicality. They were symbols, further gathering of desirability in the Hyuga. Hiashi chafed that their greatest source of undesirability was so close by.

A calmer Hiashi should have avoided the scion. But his mind was clouded with images of his daughter in the arms of this man. And then, with his heir in his clutches, he looked at Hiashi with an evil glare, promising to contaminate all that he loved.

His loathing seethed past his facade as he approached the young man, who was standing by a case of gems, crystals and fine stones. Naruto spoke without turning, "Master Hyuga. I am honored by your presence. Please, stay a while."

His words were silvery, but bit into Hiashi like a flurry of kunai. "I see you have recovered most of your vitality. It delights me to see my daughter's chosen is well."

"I'm sure." Naruto tapped the glass case. It suddenly unlocked and flipped open.

"What are you doing?" Hiashi asked more tersely than he should have.

"Examining these up close." Naruto reached down and picked up a blue, green, and red crystal the size of an eye. They were uncut, artifacts in uncovered temple abandoned to time. "Beautiful pieces. It's unforgivable of you to keep them _imprisoned_." He stressed the final word.

Hiashi blinked, but thought nothing of the blonde's stress. "They can only be admired, we have no use for them. They have no other purpose."

"You do not know how wrong you are." The crystals began to gently float in his palm. The green and blue crystals barely rose above his palm, but the red crystal climbed with great energy. "Do you know what these are?"

"Tears of the Gods," Hiashi remembered their names.

"To us, perhaps. Others call them kyber."

"And where are these 'others'?"

"Far, far away."

Naruto gently grasped the red crystal and brought it to his eye. He graced it with a look Hiashi ruefully imagined he'd given his daughter. Then he gently placed the blue and green crystal into the case, keeping the red in his palm. He grasped it delicately. "I must say, Hiashi, I've been waiting to see you again. It's been so long since our last meeting."

"Yes, the chunin exams are almost a memory. You managed an upset by defeating our brightest star."

Naruto smiled knowingly, "Not quite that long ago."

Hiashi tried to remember a more recent meeting when Naruto released the crystal. It floated above his hand and hovered in midair. "What are you doing?"

"What others keep saying is impossible. Please contain yourself, I want you to remember. When did you last lay your eyes on me?"

Hiashi's eyes passively observed the floating crystal while remaining unimpressed, but behind those pale eyes his mind was circling. What could he mean, not quite that long ago? They'd never met in person, not until today. And the only time they'd even been in the same vicinity snce the exams was-!

Hiashi was paralyzed, visibly, he feared. He couldn't mean...he couldn't know that he'd seen him buried in that cell. He couldn't know-

"Yes, I can!"

His grip closed and the crystal was crushed. Hiashi gasped and saw the crystal as his head. It imploded into a thin, round cylinder beautifully cut. Light shimmered through it and illuminated a blood-red core. The crystal began to fall, with Naruto closing his palm around it. All the while he stared at Hiashi, and for just a moment, Naruto opened his eyes into the depths of his rage. It was complete, endless, and Hiashi could not escape.

"Naruto?"

The heat was instantly cooled. Hinata approached the pair with concern, "Is everything okay?"

Naruto nodded, "Absolutely. Me and your father were just getting to know each other. He even gave me a gift, a reminder of how things long lost can re-emerge and find their place in the world." He opened his palm, revealing the red crystal.

"A God Tear? Father, that's too generous!" Hinata exclaimed.

Hiashi was silently recovering his breath, he felt his sweat dampening the back of his collar. But he dared show no weakness, not in front of his family, and definitely not in front of his rivals. He eyed Naruto, who glanced at him with a silent demand. If he refused, would Naruto announce his ill intent from fifteen years ago?

Hiashi said, "Yes, though he will not tell me why he requires it."

Naruto smiled knowingly with regained charm. He reached into his robes and pulled out the hilt of Kusanagi. The broken metal of the blade was gone, and there was a hole where the insert should be. Otherwise the hilt looked untouched. "You will see for yourself when the time is right."

Naruto opened and unseen hatch in the grip and revealed countless lengths of wire and metal inside, far more advanced than anything Hiashi had seen. He gently placed the crystal in an open slot, metal claws rose to grip it in place. Then he closed the hatch and pocketed the blade and turned to Hinata, "My dear, I must excuse myself for a moment. Your father is quite the man. I expect we'll talk again, we still have much to talk about."

Hinata smiled and gently cupped his hand, "Okay. I love you."

Her words stabbed Hiashi's heart.

Naruto took her hand and brought it to his lips, kissing it with a contained passion and making his partner blush, "I love you too," Naruto said, Hiashi hoped he lied. Naruto pierced him with a final private glare before disappearing beyond the ballroom and into the dark hallways.

A thought burned through his mind: his clan burning. His daughters dead, impaled and torn. And the monster's wicked smile looming in the blackening sky.

Hiashi turned to his daughter, who looked at him hopefully, "What do you think of him, father?"

Hiashi was tempted to use his byakugan and see if the fear Shikaku had given him had already come true. Could the jinchuriki have planted a seed inside of his daughter? It was so tempting to try, the unknown was maddening. But he restrained himself, using his byakugan here would only raise questions, and not only with his daughter. He was growing fonder of Shikaku's plan by the minute.

And then a dangerous thought clouded his mind: what if this strange power Naruto possessed allowed him to do the same? Had he somehow manipulated his daughter into her feelings? It was an impulse without proof, but right now Hiashi was far more alert than normal.

"Hinata, I know you've grown close to Uzumaki. But I need to to keep your distance for a while."

Hinata's eyes darkened, she must have seen this coming. "I won't, father." She said as politely as decorum dictated.

He cursed this new fire in his daughter, had Uzumaki planted that inside her as well? Why couldn't it have been there from the start? "This isn't a request. You must know he is disturbed. He needs help, romance can come later." Hopefully with someone dignified, he thought.

"No, there's nothing wrong with him. People just refuse to understand."

"You believe in this all-powerful force?"

"I've seen it. I don't understand it, but...I believe he does."

A third voice cut in from behind him, "It's no good, father. You won't convince her."

He turned, his youngest approached them in yellow robes bordered with green trim. Hanabi said, "Besides, there's got to be some truth to what he's saying. No one could defy gravity like he can."

Oh his naive daughters. They did not yet understand the full potential of chakra, and so could be fooled by trickery and deceit. He should have spent more time tutoring them both in the secrets of the world.

The glass ceiling exploded inward, sending shards shooting into the unsuspecting guests below. Hiashi, his daughters and some of the shinobi present were fast enough to shield themselves and others chakra protection techniques, but over a dozen guests were blasted by the shards and collapsed to the ground with screams.

A single figure fell through the shattered rooftop and landed in the center of the ballroom. He threw his arms wide, "Ladies and gentleman, elites of the Leaf! Thank you for your hospitality!"

Hiashi made out black robes and red clouds beyond the smoke.

"I have only one question: where is Naruto Uzumaki?"

Hiashi's eyes widened, "Akatsuki!"

Deidara frowned, "Uzumaki? Anyone? He must have stepped out." Then he grinned, "Perfect! Allow me to return your warm reception!"

He opened his robes, and a hundred clay birds took to the air and filled the room. "Behold, the artwork of a master!"

Hiashi did not have time to react as the birds detonated across the chamber. Concussive air snatched him and carried him away. Debris cracked and shattered into the plentiful guests whose death cries were drowned out by the detonation. But Hiashi's eyes were snared by the death of his legacy: his eldest blasted through a wall and his youngest bisected by a dinner table.

 **A/N**

We've had enough rising action for now, it's time for something to peak. I plan to keep this story moving at a brisk pace.

Cliffhangers in the manga would sometimes drive me crazy, but now that I'm the author, I must say how much fun they are. I prefer a powerful conclusion to a chapter than a lackluster one, and usually that leaves people wanting more.

The next chapter will be published in two weeks. Everything that you hope is going to happen is about to kick off. IF you have any comments or questions, feel free to message me and I'll reply as soon as I can. I hope you return, and please leave a review!


	6. Rathmael

**The Will of the Force**

 **Chapter 6**

 **Rathmael**

 **~I~**

Tsunade swirled her porcelain cup idly in her hand as her finger brushed over the owl carved into its surface. The scent wafted to meet her and tried to sting her senses, and it failed. She wondered how long it had been since sake had been able to bite her unpleasantly. Years? Decades? Had an adulthood filled with sorrow and pain numbed her from all the times she'd sought its liquid comfort? Whatever the reason, with her distaste for the drink gone there was little that kept her from consuming it as her crutch.

Day in, day out, the problems of a village landed on her desk. Tens of thousands of lives lie in her masked hands and at the stroke of her pen. If the problems were easy, they were solved long before they could be placed in front of her. Fifteen years from this side of the desk made her appreciate her former teacher all the more, and she regretted her younger self for the resentment she'd once held for the man in power. So now, to keep herself at the top of her game, if a constant vice was what kept her mind clear and the tension relieved, if it kept her at her best, bring it on.

But tonight was different. A special occasion! She almost cheered at the thought. Today this drink wasn't fortification in her mental dam against the stress. Today it wasn't one cup, but two. Her eyes snapped from the first cup to its twin, in the hands of an old friend.

Jiraiya raised his glass between wrinkled fingers that reminded Tsunade so much of their former master. "To Orochimaru."

Tsunade mirrored him and remembered the face of a pale boy with eyes innocent in their ambition, "To the man he was. And who he could have been."

They raised their cups and tilted them back. Instinct braced her for the stinging down her throat, but there was only warm relief. She wondered if Jiraiya felt anything at all.

"I'm glad you're here. But when you see him, keep in mind, he isn't the boy we remember. He changed in the dark."

"Just like Orochimaru?"

"Yes. You spent years trying to bring him back...will you do it again?"

Jiraiya sighed and smiled sadly, "I'm too old to believe in memories anymore. But...I want to believe he isn't completely gone. Let an old man dream a little longer."

Foolish old man, just the way she liked her oldest friend. At least one of them still found reason to believe. "If any of that boy survived, I think you're the one who can find it."

"Ah, you give me too much credit!"

She smiled, "Let an old woman dream, too."

Jiraiya tilted in forward as if sharing some schoolyard secret, "You know, he's not the only reason I came back."

"What is it? Did you find something?"

"Some _things_ , all of them ill. Some of my contacts have reported movement in Rain. Personnel and equipment are in a frenzy. Something's happening. I can't say what it is for sure, Rain is a black hole in everyone's information network. But it's big, bigger than anything we've ever seen."

"Could it be an exercise? Or a coup?"

"Unlikely, the people of rain are devoted to their leader. They consider him to be a god. And it's much too big for a drill. This is Rain gathering all their strength...and I have one more thing."

"What?"

"My spies have spotted six figures in dark cloaks with red clouds crossing borders, heading for Rain. Akatsuki is assembling. And that can mean only one thing."

Tsunade's mood shifted, she felt a soft pining for the friendly atmosphere as it was buried under business. "They know Naruto has returned. I put a gag order on his status, but it was inevitable."

"And if they're assembling, they're not coming in pairs. It will be all at once. They've captured all but one of the Tailed Beasts while the villages were dismissing them as a threat. Now, if they capture Naruto, whatever they're planning will be in motion. How are Konoha's forces?"

"Tired and stretched thin, we're only just recovering from the guerrilla war. We need time to rebuild our strength."

"Rebuild it fast, Rain won't give us much time."

Tsunade closed her eyes and mustered the situation. She'd inspected Naruto personally, his chakra system was completely destroyed, and the Fox was nowhere to be felt. It might not even be inside anymore. But then where could it have gone?

The door burst open and Kiba Inuzuka ran inside. Tsunade immediately stood as Kiba shouted, "Lady Hokage! There's been a breach in the perimeter! Someone came through from the sky-"

A brief light burst through the windows and immediately vanished, followed by a deafening boom. The earth rumbled, trinkets came clattering off shelves and the occupants fought to keep their footing. Once they had all three turned to the source of the sound.

Rock and wood fell from the sky around a massive column of smoke slowly rising to the heavens. The Hyuga compound was burning.

"Get the first responders moving! I want a state of emergency declared!" Kiba immediately rogered and bolted from the room to carry out his orders. Tsunade turned to Jiraiya. "Find out who did this, and stop them."

Jiraiya nodded, "Already done, princess!" He opened a window and dashed across the rooftops to the compound.

Her eyes were again on the rising smoke. Lord Hyuga was hosting his monthly party today. The very party she'd declined to attend in order to meet with Jiraiya. She could recall nearly fifty faces that were undoubtedly in attendance, all of them keys to power in Konoha. Keys to stability. And she wondered how many she would never see again. A part of her chest felt hollow. Konoha could not afford a power vacuum now.

And then she buried fears for the future and summoned Shizune to assemble the ANBU. The Hokage's will must be done.

~II~

"Split up! Find the jinchuriki! Find him now! Kill the rest!"

Hiashi's head pounded as he tried to stand. He pushed himself up with his left and immediately regretted it. He braved to open his eyes and saw a series of splintered wood lodged throughout his bicep. Instincts must have shielded his face and saved it from the same fate.

He rolled over and groaned as he fought for consciousness against the shock. He bumped into something as he tried. He looked, and saw Shibi lying on the ground. A pole was through his throat.

"Shibi!" he cried. He pushed through the pain in his scratched right arm and lifted himself onto hand and knees. He looked down at his ally, who was grasping desperately to the instrument of his demise. "Shibi, stay with me!"

He leaned over the struggling man. Shibi tried desperately to speak, moving his mouth with no sound. It was the first time Shibi's silence was disturbing. Hiashi leaned closer and inspected the puncture. It was ugly, his jugular was torn apart. Blood must be filling his lungs. His heart sank, there was no coming back from this.

"Shibi, it's okay." Hiashi said as he gently placed his right hand over the man's heart. Shibi strained and fought, opening his bloody mouth with last words that would never be heard. "I'm sorry." Shibi looked into his eyes with terror, begging for salvation. Hiashi could not give him that, but he could ease his pain.

A sharp burst of chakra left his palm and severed his friend's heart. It was instant, painless relief. The life left Shibi's eyes at last, and Hiashi took a moment to mourn his fallen comrade. But he could give him no more.

All around him there were cries and moans as people fought the death god for their lives. He could hear blades scraping against bones and tiled floors, some vandals were executing the survivors. And his daughters were among them! There was a shift inside Hiashi. He was no longer a host, or a clan head worried about his future. He was a father whose worst fears may be coming true.

"Hinata! Hanabi!" He cried as he activated his byakugan. He had no time to scan each body, he looked for chakra. And there was one not too far. It was familiar. Hanabi!

He ran across the dying and broken and skid to a halt beside his daughter. Hope died in an instant. She was in two. Her upper half was sheared, skin boiling, and eyes glazed over lifelessly staring at the stars above.

Hiashi was a strong man. Anything less and he would never have been trusted to lead the Hyuga. He'd advised the Hokage herself on who, and when, to send their own people to knowing death. He'd carried secret burdens that would make none envy his position. But even so, nothing compared to seeing his beloved daughter's corpse.

And he wept. He fell onto her remains and begged, wished for her return. There was not a thing he would have horded if trading it would grant her life. For a chance for her to grow, and prosper, and to smile again. But it would never be. He wanted to curse the gods for their cruelty, for taking someone so young and pure before they had the chance to truly shine. But he could not. He still had one daughter left, and he could only pray she was still alive. He'd damn the gods later.

He rose and tried to spot his last child, but he was spotted first.

"Look here, this one can still stand!"

Hiashi peered through the smoke with his byakugan. It was a pair of men in white tunics and Rain Village headbands, each with a long slash through the drops.

Each pulled out a kunai and spoke, "For God."

A rage ignited inside Hiashi. These men were with the man in the red clouds. They were Akatsuki! They were responsible for his daughter's death! And that rage fueled him to kill! Even with only one good arm, he would avenge his fallen daughter!

There was a sound between a stretch and a scream, a red beam of light pierced through the dust. It circled the two servants of Akatsuki. Their heads became detached from their bodies and fell to the floor, rolling to Hiashi's feet. Their cuts did not bleed, but were cauterized. The light disappeared with a hiss before the bodies hit the floor. Hiashi paused, and strained his byakugan to see what created the light, but saw nothing. Not empty space. Nothing. Like a wound in reality covered in shadow.

Curiosity lingered, but was erased by the fear for his eldest daughter. Hiashi ignored the corpses and the void and searched for his daughter's chakra signature. He locked onto it in an instant. Outside on the streets, surrounded by dozens more.

He dashed through the damaged halls and found the exit. He emerged to see a crowd of people surrounding a small group of medic-nin in the center. Shikaku was on the outside with a blood-soaked tourniquet over where the rest of his right arm should be. He spotted Hiashi and gave him a grave look.

Hiashi bolted to him, "Where is she!?"

Shikaku tried to catch him, "Don't-"

"Move!"

He shoved him aside, then everyone who stood in his way. He pushed to the center and past a medic-nin who tried desperately to keep him from seeing. He would live to regret it someday, seeing his last daughter broken and lifeless on the ground.

He recognized the pink-haired medic as the Fifth's most promising apprentice. He looked to her as she checked Hinata for any sign of life. He hoped in vain that she would invalidate his sight, and tell hiim that her heart was still beating even as he could see it was motionless inside her. She turned to him, and he hoped for anything reassuring. Anything to show him that he hadn't lost everything today.

Sakura closed her eyes and softly shook her head.

Hiashi broke. The dignity of the Hyuga was gone, and all that was left was a man who'd lost everything. His wife, his youngest, and how his heir. All the frustrations he'd had with her were gone like footprints in sand against the tide. There would be no apologies, no reconciliation. He fell to his knees and for that instant wished he could join them on the other side, for what was left in this world worth living for? How could anyone survive this pain? He didn't damn the gods, there was no anger left inside. Only emptiness.

"NO!" A voice roared beyond the crowd. Onlookers were cast aside to make an opening. Hiashi lifted his gaze as Naruto stormed beside him. "Hinata…"

A tear fell from Sakura's eye at their pain, "Lord Hyuga, Naruto...I'm so sorry."

"No." Naruto said defiantly. He leaned down and picked the corpse up in a hug as if it would hug him back. "No, I will not let this be!"

Sakura said, "There's nothing we can do. She's gone-"

"I will lose no more!"

Naruto held her tight enough to crush the air in her lungs, if she were still breathing. He mumbled a mantra under his breath.

"Peace is a lie, there is only passion. Through passion, I gain strength. Through strength, I gain power. Through power, I gain victory. Through victory, my chains are broken. The Force shall set me free."

Hiashi almost wanted to comfort the boy, for in this instant their loss was shared. All animosity had died with his daughter, and all he wanted was to share that great pain with someone who could understand. it took a travesty to make him pity the demon.

Sakura placed a hand on his shoulder, "Naruto, please stop. We can't-"

Hinata breathed. She gasped for air and wrapped her arms around the closest thing to her, around Naruto. Her eyes moved, she was panting. She was alive. "Wh...where?"

Sakura stared as the rules of reality were broken before her eyes. Naruto continued holding the confused woman. "That's...impossible."

Impossible or not, Hiashi didn't care. His daughter was moving. Breathing. Seeing. Living! She looked into his eyes and in that instant Hiashi knew that even after losing his comrade, associates and even Hanabi, everything would somehow be okay. "Father, I can't...I can't..."

He rushed to brush her cheek, tears of joy streaming down his face. "It's okay, Hinata. Just breathe. Everything is going to be okay."

He took her hand and gripped it tightly, showing her that he was here. Hinata's breathing began to steady, and though her mind was still lost amid its unexpected return to reality, he knew she would settle in time. There was hope. He wanted to shout in joy, there was hope!

Then he circled around them to see the young man's face. The young man who'd brought his daughter back from the dead. What gratitude he felt! He wanted to know how, to understand the power that kept his daughter in his life.

But when he saw the man, he could not speak. For fear consumed all of his senses. The man held his daughter close, but his eyes were peering far beyond. They seared with icy fires of hate that burned from the depths of the human soul.

Naruto shifted Hinata and handed her to Hiashi. "Take care of her." He stood among the crowd of onlookers, the witnesses to his miracle. Their wonder was magnificent. He extended his hand, the hilt of Kusanagi snapped from his hip to his grip.

Hiashi hesitated, "Where are you going?"

"To deliver retribution."

Naruto strode through the crowds of onlookers who parted willingly in awe.

 **~III~**

Jiraiya held a stick and tested it against the purple barrier. It was incinerated on contact. He hissed, no good. Nothing was breaking through this without taking down the rest of the neighborhood.

Deidara stepped up behind the barrier and grinned cockily. What remained of his subordinates, about twenty, stood behind him in the long rectangular barrier that four other subordinates were maintaining in each corner. They'd managed to surround the intruders, and this barrier was their final defense. But Deidara seemed unconcerned. "I don't suppose you're open to negotiations. We could save each other a great deal of time and bloodshed."

Jiraiya sniffed, who did this brat think he was? "Look around you. You're the ones who are surrounded." Jiraiya cast his arms wide to the hundreds of active duty shinobi and ANBU lining the streets and rooftops. Each was waiting for their moment to strike.

Deidara followed his motion to the small army, and was unimpressed. "I have everything I need right here." Deidara dipped into his robe and pulled out a massive lump of C4. "Do you know what this is? It's the medium of an artist!"

Jiraiya's eyes went wide, that was enough to level an entire district! "You realize there's no way any of you would survive."

"These ones welcome death in service of the almighty! The end is nigh for us all! I welcome the chance to leave one final masterpiece on this earth. So go ahead! Test me!"

Jiraiya carefully contemplated his next move. What he wouldn't give to be back in the office sharing a drink with an old friend. There were only two ways out of this: submission through surrendering Naruto, or with blood. And since the former was out of the question, there was only one way this could end…

The crowd was gasping at the far end of the rectangular barrier. Jiraiya shifted his eyes to see, people were trying to stop whatever was approaching, but being easily pushed aside. For what, he didn't see until it was too late to stop it.

Naruto stepped away from the crowd in tattered robes as black as night. He stepped up to the barrier, and before anyone could stop him, stepped through it. He was unburned, as if walking through a summer breeze.

"No..." Questions of how were overpowered by the sharp panic that seized him as Naruto walked right into the arms of Akatsuki.

Deidara was just as awed by the man's brazen disregard for his own security. He wasn't at all concerned with how his defenses were breached, only that his target was now within his grasp. "You're as stupid as they told me. Or have you come to surrender?"

Naruto said nothing. He glared at the man, his eyes fey omens brimming with unbridled hatred from some unpaid debt.

Deidara was unfazed. He turned to Jiraiya as his victory seemed at hand. "Grab Uzumaki. Bind him and prepare him for transport."

Two of the cloaked men approached, one with gauntlets and a spiked chain and the other with sword in hand.

Jiraiya watched helplessly as the Akatsuki minions approached his former pupil. And he was afraid. But not because of his imminent capture, nor because of failure. For every dark thought, every doubt was suddenly drawn out of the depths of memory. And he couldn't explain why. All around him, unmasked shinobi showed similar fears.

Naruto raised a hand, the hilt of Kusanagi held tightly in his grip, strangling it as if it were his most hated foe.

Jiraiya racked his brain against his doubts and failures for something, anything to save his former pupil, when a stroke of brilliance crossed his mind. Reverse summoning! Naruto should still be contracted to the toads! If he could quickly get a message to Fugaku, he could have the boy summoned to Mount Myoboku! But he never had time to act on that plan. "Naruto, hang in there!" Jiraiya shouted.

"I was blessed with a new name by the darkness." Naruto raised the hilt high. A sharp scream echoed across the land, the audience was bathed in blood-red light. The Kusanagi was reborn, a brilliant crimson beam, the instrument of its master's hate.

"Darth Rathmael!"

Naruto's hand descended, the shimmering blade howling as it sought its master's foe. The bladed man held up his sword to defend himself, but it melted against the marvel and bisected the man in two. His wound and blade singed with fire as the fell to the earth.

And with his left hand Naruto reached out with his anger and snatched the chain from its owner, twisting it and ensnaring the ill-fated believer of a false god. It slithered around as a python and constricted, growing tighter, tighter, cracking bones and tearing skin, until the body could take no more. He burst as the chain closed, staining the earth with blood and viscera.

And then Naruto began his march.

Deidara paused as the cloaked man began his approach, promising death. "Get him! Don't just stand there, attack!"

The servants of Akatsuki did so, though they did not yet know it was in vain.

The first prepared a jutsu, a massive fireball to fill the remainder of the space inside the barrier with blaze. But as he released it Naruto reached out and held it inside. It strained, burned his meat from the inside until his outside was charred and blackening, and then it erupted through his chest like an explosive tag, scorching three of his allies. By the time they recovered, it was too late. Naruto had closed the distance and raised his beaming blade high.

Jiraiya could remember just once thinking that the god of death had manifested itself in this world. It was the first time he'd seen Minato unleash his Flying Thunder God technique on an entire company. A hundred souls annihilated in moments as the Yellow Flash teleported from knife to knife, ensuring that none were unstained. He'd been convinced that the God of Death was quick, precise and clean. But now, as he saw Naruto unleash his rage upon Akatsuki, he could see how mistaken he had been.

The Death God was here today. And he was cruel, furious and unforgiving. He was an unrelenting force bearing down on these decrepit souls lost from salvation. The God of Rain was so far away, the man with the blinding blade was their god now.

The shinobi around him were seasoned, but even they screamed as the massacre. Within the barrier the red blade arced in a bloodless dance. Its wielder carried his rage, his wrath through his heart, up his arm and into the blade, and unleashed it with every slash. Heads, arms, torsos were seared and severed with cruel ambition. He reached out with his open hand, lifting a man and shattering every bone in his body before throwing his corpse into the barrier.

When they were down to ten, they began to break. The first man finally screamed in terror as the red blade approached those who remained. He bolted for the end of the barrier as if thinking incineration was a better end than the spirit of death itself. But Naruto reached out and lifted him, flinging him back into the fray. His blade arced through the air as he passed, and the coward fell to the ground in two. He reached out to the next, flinging him forward and impaling him upon the blade. He cried as he fell down the blade, the heat melting his insides until Naruto flicked him away and continued his rampage.

The last few tried to attack as one, drawing kunai and rushing together. Naruto reached out and snatched their kunai away, blasting them into two of the blustering attackers before swinging his blade in two massive arcs. They fell to the floor, and Naruto stepped over their warm corpses untouched by blood or metal.

Deidara finally stood alone against the master of the dark side. But unlike his recently deceased team, he felt no fear. He was relishing the moment. He did not relent under the blaring hatred cast his way by the dark swordsman. He held his own, reaching into his robe and pulling out two clumps of clay. "So this is how it ends. So be it!"

The mouths in his palms began to swallow the clay, shaping it, when Naruto reached out and detonated them from the inside. Deidara screamed as his arms were blown apart, blood splattering the earth and sizzling against the barrier. The blood passed over Naruto, who remained untouched as if protected by some unseen barrier.

Deidara howled and whimpered as he saw the state of his arms. Naruto stepped forward, his face as cold as stone barely holding in a scream of indignation. The cage was filled with hatred and death, and Naruto took it all as he raised his blade high and sealed Deidara's fate. He started with the legs, hacking them apart layer by layer. The Akatsuki screamed as he fell to the ground, Naruto stood over the crippled man and continued to cut, his blade melting skin and earth. Deidara's screams echoed throughout the village mixed with the sizzling of Naruto's blade. Naruto's swings became wilder as he unleashed all of his hate, finally focusing on Deidara's torso. He was careful to make his suffering last. But even he could only draw it out for so long. Jiraiya saw the life leave Deidara's eyes. But Naruto did not relent. The man gave into his endless wrath. He kept cutting in a howling fury, making the pieces of Deidara smaller and smaller as if their size offended him.

There was no piece of the Akatsuki larger than a tool pouch by the time Naruto's blade finally stilled. It hummed hungrily. He flicked a switch and the red beam retracted into the hilt. But his eyes were still alight with unsated rage. He was uncomfortably still for a time, and the rage continued to grow.

Then he screamed his fury and reached out at the remains. Blue lightning arced across his fingertips louder than an avalanche. It reached the remains and annihilated them, unleashing Naruto's hate for the man on every molecule, every atom the man once claimed as his own. The lightning stopped only when the earth itself was smoking and scarred. Cloak, skin, bone, all gone. All that remained was the metal forehead protector.

Naruto closed his eyes and breathed in the scent, Jiraiya imagined it must be burning. Suddenly his eyes snapped open and he lifted his left hand. The barrier was instantly shattered, and the four terrified men maintaining it were lifted into the air. The hovered, and zoomed into a row in front of the blonde. Their hands snatched their throats as they gasped for air, Naruto was choking the life from them.

Naruto glared at the four with the same undying rage. Three of his fingers curled in, and three heads collapsed into their shoulders, splattering blood down their white cloaks. Naruto cast the corpses aside, leaving only one soul still in his grip. He drew his hand in, and the choking man came in close enough to hear his words.

"I have a message for your false god." Naruto whispered, his words low but with the strength to echo throughout the street. "Tell your masters what happened here. And they will know that this is but a taste of my wrath. And tell them..."

Deidara's forehead protector lifted from the earth. It hovered to Naruto's left arm and fused with his black cloak just above the elbow. "...that I am coming for them!"

Naruto thrust his arm out. The last Akatsuki servant was blown beyond the walls of the village, though Jiraiya was certain he would survive. Naruto's message would be heard.

And as Naruto stood there surrounded by death and awe, Jiraiya finally understood Tsunade's message. The boy he knew was gone. This man, this...Rathmael, was the disease that had infected his remains. And despite the horrors of Jiraiya's lifetime of war, never had he felt so afraid.

 **A/N**

The way of the dark side is the way of passion. It is the fire to the light's icy cool stillness. It demands fuel to grow, change, but consumes it until ashes remain. It does not forget, and it does not forgive. Akatsuki is now at odds with the sole master of the dark side in their world. Will their combined might, the pinnacle of many shinobi villages united for a common cause be enough to stop the dark lord? Or will the age of Shinobi come crashing down before the wonder of The Force?

Today is May 4th, 2017, the perfect day to publish for Star Wars. And it was excellent motivation to finish this chapter on time, containing one of my favorite scenes so far. I want to give life to the force with words, and show its wonder, power and terror. I hope it has come off effectively.

The next chapter should be up in two to three weeks, depending on the order I update my stories. Please leave a review with your thoughts!

May The Force, and the 4th, be with you.


	7. The Warmongers

**The Will of the Force**

 **Chapter 7**

 **The Warmongers**

 **~I~**

Shino was lingering outside the doors to the council chamber. The man was rigid; all Aburame wielded an air of mystique and seclusion, but Shino's was trying, and failing, to hide indecisiveness. Hiashi could see it clear as day, nothing escaped his gaze. Shino was hiding the tepidness of a boy on his first day to school. Hiashi could not blame him. Not three days after the death of his father and he was called to take his clan's seat on the council. No one entered this room for the first time without a hint of tepidness. It had broken the cold calculus of Shikaku, shattered Inoichi's veil of perception and devastated the Akamichi appetite. It had even rattled Hiashi after the death of his own father led to his ascension to the representative of his clan.

And Hiashi saw opportunity in a troubled man stepping into a larger world. Shibi had been a valuable ally, and he needed to keep the Aburame on his side. Give a lost man a map, and it would be his world. Hiashi's guiding hand would be that map.

"Shino Aburame. Welcome." Hiashi said as he approached.

Shino looked up behind tinted glasses, "Lord Hyuga. I'm surprised you remembered my name."

Remember a man's name to make him feel special, and he would remember yours. "Of course I remember. You've been a good friend and ally to my eldest. And your father was good man, and a friend."

"It would be better if he were here today."

Yes, but he would not tell Shino that. Now was his chance to capture an ally. He gently placed a guiding hand on Shino's shoulder and said, "Your father would be proud that you're here. He would want no one else. Now come."

Hiashi parted the doors and waited for Shino. His eyes stared into the rounded chamber, but he could not see into it, as if some barrier cascaded from the door frame, a veil into a larger world he was not ready for. No one was, not at first. This new world would mold him into a man as calculating as his father. In a sense, there was a barrier between Shino and the chamber, and while it allowed all men to pass, it severed their innocence and left it behind. A part of Shino would die today, and Hiashi would be there to cauterize the wound.

"Come along."

Shino nodded and stepped through the door and into the rest of his life.

The chamber was rounded with desks and chairs arranged to match the curve of the room. There were five rings of varying sizes and all pointing towards its center, which was left empty. Most of the council would muster in due time. Half the council was already seated, and the rest were trickling in at their leisure. Seating was not reserved, but Hiashi's regular chair remained unoccupied. Hiashi beckoned Shino to the spot adjacent to him and the pair took their seats.

Shino scanned the crowd. "Merchants, clan heads, holy men, bureaucrats, top-ranking jonin. A hundred here now, with room for twice that."

"We'll see a full chamber today. The Hokage rarely summons all of her advisers to the council at once. She wouldn't invite holy men to discuss trade deals, for example. The subject of today's council will affect the entire village."

Shino nodded, "War."

Hiashi nodded to a group in the furthest ring, three young men and two women who showed the discomfort Shino was able to hide. "This is their first assembly as well. You are not the only replacement here, many of our best were lost in the attack. Be ready, the fate of the village will be decided here." He knew Shino would wonder, why out of all the new members would Hiashi choose him to mentor? It would make him feel special, and would bind him closer to Hiashi. The Aburame were still his.

The rest of the council took their seats and waited in relative unease. Curious eyes took note of who was no longer with them. Deidara had delivered a devastating blow to Konoha's elites, and his explosion echoed in the empty chairs and the breath of the new arrivals.

The room went silent as the doors slammed open, and that silence was broken by firm and directed footsteps on the waxed tile floor. Tsunade walked past the five rings and stood in the center of the chamber and commanded attention without a word.

Hiashi remembered his first meeting as a member of the council. It was following the death of his father during the last great ninja war. The Fourth Hokage was newly anointed and just as green, if not greener, like a plant bulb just beginning to bloom. Hiashi had been groomed for authority and leadership since his youth. The Fourth had stumbled into greatness through genius and luck, and it showed with how he managed his proceedings. The council was arranged much as it was today, except the Hokage also sat at a desk. The floor was open to all opinions. Minato listened to them all with equal attention. A worthy effort, but an inexperienced one. Minato was a good man who wanted to do his best for the village, but he allowed himself to be easily manipulated through his insecurity in his post. He hadn't learned when to wield the power of his office. By allowing all opinions, he invited the extreme ones a chance to be heard. He was hesitant to readily dismiss arguments that Hiashi knew had no merit, after all, who was he to reject the thoughts of those more experienced? But Minato was young and had time to grow into a powerful leader under the mentorship of the Third. The Fox had killed that future.

After Minato's death, the Third once again took up the mantle. And the layout of the room shifted to reflect this. All chairs and desks faced forward to one at the end, where the Third Hokage held court like a great king. He abandoned the kindly father persona of the village and became a tactician. When council was called, he was in complete control of the proceedings. He wielded his authority like a hammer, and anyone who stepped over the line he drew was brutally knocked down. He was effective and in control, and Konoha prospered for many years under his authority. The Third was a man who could make his vision of peace come true. Hiashi had wondered what his early years in the role had been like, and how they had shaped Sarutobi into the man he saw from afar.

He worried the Fifth would start out on a learning curve like the Fourth, and was relieved to find that while she did, it was not nearly so steep. She grew to the decorum in months, and developed her own style of managing her council, a hybrid of what her predecessors had done. She stood in the center, standing tall as everyone else sat, and began with a question, and allowed her council's words to flow to her in the center. She was a sharp contrast to the new members, she knew she belonged he and acted as such. She held the reigns tight, this was _her_ council.

Her first question was simple, and expected, "Should Konoha go to war?"

Hiashi closed his eyes and did not speak as voices echoed for the Fifth's attention. Shino shifted, "Aren't you going to participate?"

"No point in arguing yet, save it for the important questions."

"We're discussing war, why isn't that important?"

"Because we already know the answer. Pay attention and learn about your peers." Shino nodded and followed his advice.

Hiashi waited for the chaotic debate to pass. The Fifth had asked their opinion for formalities sake, but her mind was already tempered as shinobi steel. Pros would fortify her further, while cons would wash over her like water. Their course was set, the drums of war were pounding.

Debate raged like a hurricane. Several prominent merchants spoke first and recounted Fire Country's economic state and the merits of a true wartime economy, where Hiashi was sure many would find their wealths inflating. Priests spoke of the Gods and their will. Hiashi had never been close with the gods, but he knew better than to dismiss their mouthpieces on the mortal realm. Strategists warned of the dangers of a war in Rain, and how Rock might be drawn into the conflict. The plenipotentiary of the Daimyo offered his support for war, his village would not be slighted without retribution.

Shino turned to him, "What will the important questions be?"

"I see three, at least. Strategy, which allies are called, and Uzumaki."

While Hiashi wished to abstain, Tsunade desired his input. She turned from the previous speaker to Hiashi and asked, "Lord Hyuga, we once sacrificed your brother to placate the Cloud. Why shouldn't we do this again?"

Hiashi wished to hold off from speaking until the hard questions came, he wanted to save his capital for then. But if the Hokage demanded his will, he would provide. "Yes, we gave Hizashi's body to the Raikage to avert a war. It was a life for a life, and he knew he could not justify a war if we met his demands. It will not work with Rain. They do not care about justification. It is a land of zealots and men claiming to be gods. Granting them Uzumaki will not only make us look weak, it won't keep us from war. Akatsuki will have the last tailed beast for their plans. Nothing peaceful will come from giving them so much power. We have no choice but war."

Tsunade nodded, and the debate was done. "So it is done. Konoha will go to war with Rain." Murmurs washed through the crowd in support and defiance, but they would not shift the rock that was Tsunade. "Now, what of Naruto Uzumaki?"

Finally on to the real question, Hiashi thought. Debate began in earnest and Hiashi was finding his words, then the doors burst open and the air became heavy.

"My name is Rathmael." Naruto declared as he entered the chamber.

Members of the council rose in protest, "What is he doing here?" Someone asked.

Naruto did not bother to answer as he stood next to Tsunade. He was taller than her, and now it was he who towered over the room. "Your guards said I was confined to the village. I cannot hunt Akatsuki from across a country."

Tsunade said, "I gave the order. It's not safe for you outside our walls."

"You forget my strength? I will destroy Akatsuki, and you can sit comfortably as I win this war before it begins."

A jonin, Asuma, stood, "We all remember, but you're delusional if you think you can defeat an entire country. It's suicide, you'd just be giving them the Kyubi."

"That was a fragment of my power." Naruto glared, "This is a formality. I could leave by force if I wished. I am no longer a shinobi of the Leaf, I will not be bound by your wishes."

Tsunade touched Naruto's shoulder, and he flinched. Hiashi caught the hilt of Kusanagi beneath his cloak, and he remembered the recounts of a blade brighter than fire, burning and tearing flesh and steel as easily as titans crush ants. "This is only a discussion. We haven't decided anything yet."

Naruto brushed her hand off and said, "Then continue. But remember, I am listening."

Tsunade did nor force him to leave, and Hiashi wondered why. Could it be she still felt some care for the boy she remembered and thought his presence might remind the crowd they were deciding a human's fate? Or was she too afraid to reject him?

One of the priests spoke, "If we are going to war, we need to recognize Akatsuki's objective, which is you and the beast inside you. You need to be secured. I propose you remain in the tunnels beneath the Hokage mountain until war's end, for your protection."

That was the wrong answer, and Naruto's eyes burned with fiery hate, "You would banish me to the darkness again? After fifteen years locked away, you would make me return!?"

Tsunade spoke calmly, "It was a suggestion, nothing has been decided."

"Yet," Naruto warned, "I will not be caged again."

The priest said, "That is not your choice."

Naruto eyed the man, "You do not believe me. You think The Force is a lie."

"You speak blasphemy of the Gods."

"There are no gods, only The Force."

Hiashi closed his eyes as hushed whispers echoed through the chamber. Naruto had crossed a line.

"You are a false prophet! Your miracles are lies and tricks on the mind."

"You are blinded by false light. And you are afraid, because I show you the truth. And you don't want to believe." He turned to them all, and the room became heavy with guilt. The chamber was no longer Tsunade's, and she did not fight for it for the same reason many refused to speak against him. Naruto had captured their focus as easily as he'd slaughtered Deidara, and as quickly as he'd taken Hiashi's daughter back from death. "I sense your fear. You fear what I bring, and what I will do."

Kakashi rose, "What do you think that is, Naruto?"

"And end to this era, and the beginning of the last."

The priest rose in anger, the fate of the village was no longer his concern, for his saviors had been slighted, "I do not fear you. I suggest protection because I must, but I know your end will come. Nothing will save you from the Gods you have insult-" The priest collapsed on his table, catching himself by his arms which cracked under his weight. His clothing dragged to the floor as if drawn to the core of the earth. His arms collapsed and he rocketed to the floor, where an intense gravity prevented even the slightest twitch. The air was crushed from his lungs and he could not scream. Two priests beside him tried to pick him up, but the pressure was too great.

Naruto whispered, "This is the only god that is real."

Tsunade hissed, "Stop it, Naruto."

Naruto eyed her and turned away. The pressure was released and the priest visibly inflated as if a small mountain was lifted from over him. His lungs cried for air.

Hiashi wondered what Naruto could possibly hope to achieve. He just made the entire room of elites his enemy.

He glanced to Tsunade and caught the steel in her eyes. This room could be adversarial and unfriendly, but it was hers by title, and these were her people. Naruto willingly rejected his place among them and unleashed a fragment of his fury at a man of privilege. And they each began to wonder if they would be next. By unleashing his hate, he handed control of the room back to Tsunade.

Naruto's eyes drifted across the crowd, lingering on Hiashi just long enough to make him remember the fear he'd been given at his party. The fear of knowing. And through that fear, he could understand his anger. A part of Hiashi wanted Naruto to return to the shadows and out of his life.

But then he remembered his daughter, his last remaining daughter, still alive thanks to the passion and power of this man. It was a fatherly debt he could never repay. Uzumaki had shown his devotion to his daughter by dragging her back to life, that love had to be real. And despite Hiashi's fears, that love had to be worth saving.

Perhaps later he'd admit to also focusing on the future when he made his proposal. He imagined a future where this unquestionably powerful man was allied with his clan, bound to his daughter by love. What influence could that possibly carry? It was a gamble that necessitated Uzumaki's forgiveness for abandoning him, but it would never happen unless Hiashi was there for him now.

"Lady Hokage," Hiashi stood, "I would like to offer Naruto Uzumaki my clan's protection. The Hyuga compound is large, and secure in the heart of Konoha. He will be safe there, as an honored guest. My clan will guard him from any intruders."

Tsunade mulled this over, "Akatsuki broke through your defenses once. What's stopping them from doing it again?"

"Our renewed vigilance." Hiashi assured her.

Tsunade found this favorable and asked, "Naruto, do you agree?"

Naruto took no time to reply, "I accept your offer, Hiashi Hyuga. Thank you." Then he returned to addressing the room, "But know this, the Dark Side has shown me what will come. Your defenses will fail. And when they have closed the distance to my cage, nothing will keep Akatsuki from my wrath."

Hiashi caught Naruto's eye. Was he grateful, or would his anger linger? Regardless, Hiashi was now bound to the man. He hoped they could let go of the past. The future was too promising to linger.

Hiashi said to Shino, "Meet me in my compound after, fill me in on everything I miss." Shino nodded and Hiashi met Naruto by the door. Out of curiosity, he asked, "If you can see the future…did you see this outcome as well?"

The Sith wouldn't say. Not another word was spoken as they left the chamber behind them.

Hiashi heard Tsunade ask her next question as he left, "Now, who will we call on to support us in our fight?"

 **~II~**

"Deidara is dead. Uzumaki killed him and his subordinates."

His eyes trailed over the gathered whole of Akatsuki, or at least the ones still alive. Pain wondered how mortals would respond to the death of a comrade. Should they be disheartened, or sad? He had forgotten what it meant to feel. But he was sure he would have recognized it if he saw it, which he did not.

Sasori asked, "Did he use the Fox? He must have, how else could a cripple defeat Deidara?"

"He claims to use an all-powerful force, and that it is beyond our comprehension."

Hidan grunted, "Blasphemer. Lord Jashin demands his heart!"

"He wielded a blade of red energy. It melted everything it touched."

Kakuzu said, "That blade sounds like Sword of the Thunder God, the Second Hokage's blade."

Kisame asked, "I've heard of that sword, could it be the same?"

"I can't be sure, but I fought the Second Hokage before and it fits the description. It will cut through almost anything, but I know a rare ore that can withstand it. It's called stratite, and looks like iron tainted with emerald. They're only found in rare meteorites."

Konan said, "I know the material. We have some in supply, but not enough for the army, even if we only coat the edges of blades."

"Then we arm ourselves. Have your weapons infused with stratite in the forges. If Uzumaki fights, we will handle him personally. The regular forces will engage the rest of Konoha."

He caught a narrowing in Itachi's eyes, but he let it pass. Perhaps he was feeling something for his old village. He was aware that humans felt nostalgia for such things.

Kisame sneered, "Samehada is perfect just as she is. I'm not covering her beauty."

Pain said, "Then if she melts, let it be on you."

Zetsu melded through the floor, "The forces are assembled. They await their God."

"I will be there shortly." Pain readied his eyes on his most powerful warriors. They were not friends, or close in any sense. But though their reasons were as vast as their nations of origins, they were united in bringing about a new dawn on their fractured existence. "Enjoy these last days of peace. They will be the last we have in this impure world. Go."

Akatsuki left down the stairs of the tallest tower in Rain. It was here where Pain had given Deidara his final orders. One more face he would never see again. But he was no great loss, for he never desired to exist in a perfect world. Deidara was born for chaos and extravagant violence. And that was how he met his end. It was not a single instance of instantaneous beauty and art, but a drawn out butchery. In the end, men like Deidara never got what they wanted. Not even in a world as damaged as them.

But enough about the past. His eternal eyes were focused on the future. And so he departed his observatory in the sky and flew to his castle below, a series of intertwining pipes and open air. It would be his final time in this mortal sanctuary. He would never return here again. He walked through the lonely halls one final time. Whatever part of Nagato that still lived inside him was comforted by the trickling rain gathering through the pipes to feed the world below. It had been his home. It was broken, and warring, and full of death, but it was his.

Was. Now it is time to ascend to his heavens.

"Do you see the end with those magnificent eyes."

Pain paused. He turned to a corner covered in shadow. Madara stepped into the light. His visible eye twisted in amusement behind his spiraling mask.

"I've seen it since the beginning."

"And what does it look like?"

"You already know."

"Yes, a world ascended to perfection in your image. Tell me Nagato, do you truly think yourself a god?"

"I've transcended humanity. I will bring the righteous apocalypse of pain. It will carve a scar on every heart that can never fully heal. It will linger and fester until humanity finally understands each other. And through suffering, humanity will meet me in Nirvana. A paradise that we will create.

Madara chuckled and reached for his mask. He removed it to reveal a face untouched by time, as young and spry as the man who died at The Valley of the End. "I see the end, too."

Pain humored the man, "And it is different?"

"In a way. Humanity has already achieved perfection. It was born through conflict and war, the instruments that drove us to improve and succeed. We are the descendants of the victors! But we were still imperfect, until the great Sage discovered chakra. That was the dawn of shinobi, the dawn of perfection! Through chakra, we discovered jutsu. And through jutsu, we achieved the pinnacle of existence!

"And now that we are at our apex, the era of shinobi must be preserved. Perfection is fragile, and that era could end and never be achieved again. We must make it permanent. And through the tailed beasts and our Moon's Eye, shinobi will be made static and eternal. We will be immortal!"

Pain pitied Madara, he was another lost soul who needed to be healed. But until he too was humbled by pain, he remained an invaluable partner, and tool, to achieving his ends. Once they were in paradise, he was sure Madara would see it, too. "Your vision is cloudy."

Madara grinned, "The future is certain. We will see who's eyes see true in time."

Pain moved on and onto a grand balcony overlooking a wide field. Below him, thousands of loyal followers, his army of believers, were gathered in a show of faith. The rain pounded their bodies and chilled their cores, and the ground was loose and difficult to stand on, but they took it as penance for their sins before God. And when their God appeared, the crusaders cheered the purest joy! Their savior had arrived! And he would guide them to paradise!

This was no organized union, but a mass pressing themselves against his tower and into each other, throwing their hands into the air to be just a little bit closer to their savior. Pain could feel their hearts, and he could feel a few of those lights silenced in the crowd, trampled or pressed to death in their united fervor. It was the price of passion, these people were absolutely devoted to his word. Now, let it be heard!

Pain raised a hand to silence his followers. When he spoke, his voice reached across the very earth like a long shadow, "The day of reckoning is at hand! The future of paradise, of sunlight and spring, awaits all who believe!"

His audience roared for their God, "Let your faith in me be your shield and your sword as you punish the enemies of God! By our hands, we will seize this world's destiny!"

Madara leaned against the wall out of sight as Pain absorbed the faith of his zealous followers like a moss absorbs sunlight. Pain spoke to him, "I'll parley for the jinchuriki. If they resist, be ready for my summon."

"They will resist, and when they do, they will be destroyed." Madara revealed his massive fan, "Konoha is a failed experiment. My vision was corrupted by Hashirama's ignorant ideals. I look forward to eradicating it and reminding its drones what it means to be true shinobi. They will learn, and then they will be saved."

Pain looked towards the cloudy heavens, and as if propelled by the upward gaze of his believers, he took towards the sky. He broke through the gray blankets and into the chilling sunlight above, as close to heaven as he could be. At least for now.

And then he flew south, and to war.

 **A/N**

I think of all the chapters I have planned for this story, this one is the weakest. It's a lot of build-up in support of later parts of the story, but no one comes to see the roadies set up the stage for the concert. But that's part of storytelling, so I hope you enjoyed what I produced here.

The council is a concept done to death in Naruto fanfiction, so when I did it, I wanted to add some depth to it, some world-building to give the council a sense of history and purpose. I think that, along with Pain's gathering, was my favorite part of the story.

In this story, Tobi is Madara. I think that Madara is a great villain by himself, and he will serve as a key actor in the coming events. So in this story, Obito is gone, he died in the cave-in. Madara has been the manipulator all along with a tenuous alliance with Pain. He represents the height of the shinobi age, the supposed greatness of an entire people embodied in one man.

To everyone who has read this and commented, thank you for your ongoing support. It feels like adding logs to the fire, and I appreciate everyone who has taken the time to leave me feedback. If you have a moment, please leave a review, and I will see you next time!


	8. Changed Men

**The Will of the Force**

 **Chapter 8**

 **Changed Men**

There was a grove west of Konoha that was perfectly unremarkable. Its trees were no vibrant or flamboyantly colorful than its neighbors and the dirt was dusty and dry. There was no fresh pool of springwater for bathing or refreshment. The perennial canopy was too selfish to allow a soft bed of inspiring seasonal blossoms even if the dirt were properly fertile. The grove was nothing more than one of thousands of comfortably flat spots in the sprawling forests for hunters and rangers to stop for a short rest, and then leave with no impression whatsoever.

But to Gaara it was something more. He'd made this grove meaningful fifteen years ago, if only for himself. This is where the dead-last blonde broke through his illusion of solitude and made him yearn for more.

He stared at the snippets of sky through the layers of evergreen and imagined the giants that had domineered the land in their cataclysmic battle. They were gone now, but the forest and this grove remained. His eyes lowered to the floor as he tasted the last of his rice-and-bean ration mix. He let himself remember the two boys, one broken and in wonder as the other found impossible strength to crawl forward. The old questions returned: where had he discovered this strength? And why had he never felt it before? Maybe...he could feel it too someday?

Diplomatic missions to the Leaf were frequent as they and Sand mended ties. Gaara made a point to visit this grove both ways. Most of his party never asked why. The few that did were told it was to freshen up before presenting their village to Konoha. For Sand must always appear crisp, fresh and free of weariness, even before allies. It was a good excuse. For Gaara, the stop was necessary. He worried he might forget his lesson someday, as if he were vulnerable to returning to the lonely, violent pariah. Returning here was like donning his armor after a blacksmith had mended battle damage. This grove was his spring of renewal.

Kankuno asked, "Gaara, are we ready?" Temari took a final sip of water before closing the skin.

Gaara swallowed the last of his rations and patted the dust from his trousers and jerkin. "Ready. Temari, Kankuro, we move." To Konoha. To the boy he remembered.

They took to the trees with blinding speed as if war nipped at their heels. It was habit from the years of guerrilla conflict with the Snake. They could never drop their guard even in allied territory, for it had once been the Snake's home and he knew it better than any foreigner. His scions had ambushed too many of his shinobi to remember. Gaara reminded himself that the silent war was over, it would be a proper army they faced in their foreseeable future, and both sides were still gathering their strength. The forests were safe for now.

They landed after ten minutes of speed on the main road, the great gates were just visible straight through. They nearly blended into the forest.

Gaara flinched, someone was moving in the trees. A branch was bending, too heavy to be a native arboreal. "Show yourselves!" He commanded.

There was a shifting, and they appeared between them and the gates. Three Konoha ANBU blocked their way. Their leader, a towheaded woman in a bear mask, greeted them. "Lord Kazekage, welcome to Konoha. The Hokage has been expecting you."

The formality pleased Gaara, all was normal. "It's always my pleasure returning to your village."

Temari grinned, "Ditzy, that you?"

The woman shifted and removed her mask. Ino sighed, "Sorry Temari, Shikamaru's tied up."

Temari scowled, but didn't follow up. Ino grinned.

Gaara said, "We weren't expecting a welcoming party before Konoha proper."

"We're guides today, Lord Kazekage."

Kankuro chortled, "The gates are right there."

"Yes. Along with spike pits, flame bombs, suspended logs, gravity snares, and shuriken walls."

"You've trapped the main road?"

"And the forest up to half a kilometer out from the walls."

Gaara mused, they were expecting to be attacked. And soon, or they'd never have trapped the roads. It killed village commerce if clients couldn't supply the demand. "Very well. Lead on."

Ino nodded and guided them through the trees on the left. They stayed on the ground, but passed by several traps that Ino described. Some were very obvious, even amateurish. That isn't to say they were failures, but enemies would need to be robbed of all sense to fall for the worst of them. There were only so many trapmasters in the village. Konoha was spreading its talent thin in their rushed mobilization.

They approached the gate from the left. Gaara spotted shinobi on the watchstations moving supplies. There were double the number of lookouts Gaara was used to seeing on the wall. Konoha was tightening security outside and all along their perimeter. Nothing was getting through their defenses without fire and fury.

They passed through the gates. Gaara knew the Hokage was busy with war preparations and couldn't afford to wait for her Daimyo, let alone him. But Naruto found his welcoming party more than satisfactory.

"Gaara!" Jiraiya shouted like a grandfather, "How are you, old sandbag?"

Gaara smiled, "I'm well, Lord Jiraiya. I thought you were still wandering the remnants of Sound."

"Oh, keeping tabs on me, are you? Or are you upset I haven't come to visit Sand in a few years? I'm old! The desert is havoc on my joints!" He laughed, his hair flying like a flag.

"Regardless, the village must be more confident knowing you're here to defend Konoha."

"I don't know what good one old man can do, but if I can help, I'll do what I can."

Gaara turned to his comrades, "Temari, Kankuro, we're safe inside the walls. You're dismissed until evening."

Temari smiled and mock-saluted her brother before leaving, Gaara didn't need to guess where. Kankuro nodded and went in the opposite direction where he knew a good machinist kept shop open in the seedier parts of the village.

"Is the Hokage ready for me?"

"She's been chewing at the bit. We should head there now. She's in her tower."

Gaara nodded and followed the sage through the streets. The red tower loomed far in the distance like the last bastion of sanity as the streets buzzed with chaos. Shops were swarmed with people demanding goods from barren merchants as if they could summon grains and materials from a seal. The people were desperate to stockpile for their family, not knowing when the next shipments would arrive from the outside world. The security measures were crippling the economy with supply shortages. The threat was more imminent than Gaara had expected if Tsunade was willing to choke her own people. But then they were only in the beginning of change. People were afraid, but not desperate. Stockpiles were limited but nowhere near depleted. Tsunade must expect to change posture soon, or the supplies would eventually diminish and there would be riots, and crime.

Jiraiya spoke as they walked, "How many of your people should we expect?"

"Seven thousand, including five hundred hunters and seven summoning clans. Baki is commanding the march. They'll be here in two days, we broke off early to coordinate our forces."

Jiraiya nodded, looking relieved, "With that many, we should be able to crush Rain without trouble."

"Konoha's on the defensive. But you can't keep the roads closed forever, or the village will starve."

"Rain's rallying all its forces. What intelligence we have says they're all but marching. Our best strategy is to turtle our defenses and let them break against us."

Gaara nodded. It was wise, Konoha had Akatsuki's final prize. They had no choice except to attack if they wanted to seize it. And he knew Rain's supplies weren't infinite either, they couldn't maintain their muster indefinitely. If it became a waiting game, he expected Rain to crumble first. "And after, you plan to crush them."

Jiraiya closed his eyes, "That's the idea, but..."

"Jiraya?"

"I don't think it will be that simple. The people of Rain are fanatics. Even if we kill their god, the followers won't stop. We could invade their country, control their village, crush the resistance, the people will still believe the will of their god and his eventual return. It'll be like Sound all over again, another era of guerrilla war."

"So you think the only way to really end it...is genocide?"

"Would letting the fighting continue be better?"

"Yes," Gaara said instantly.

Jiraiya nodded, "The only way to kill an idea, if the thinkers are unwilling to open themselves to alternate ideas...is to kill the thinkers. That's never been done in the era of the great villages, at least not in Konoha. I don't want to set that precedent now."

"But there are those who do," Gaara wondered. Like Danzo.

"Some...want Konoha to be feared and respected. They've had enough of idealists waging war from caves. I have to give Rain's god one thing, at least his people are united. I wonder if our bickering will be our undoing sometimes."

Gaara closed his eyes. So after they push back Rain, there would be a battle in the boardroom. One for the future of Konoha's, and Suna's ideology. So be it, he thought as he remembered the grove. Gaara was prepared for any challenge. Even ones jutsu couldn't solve.

"We'll handle the politics once the village is safe. Where are they keeping Naruto?"

"In the Hyuga compound."

"Wasn't it damaged in Deidara's attack?"

"The Hyuga were insulted when their defenses were breached. Hiashi has the clan pulling double-shifts for security. And Tsunade's stationed ANBU guards at the exterior."

The Hokage tower was close, the crowd began to thin as they neared its center. They were clear of the markets and into the city center. The buildings were taller, more robust, and clean as if the tower was the heart and these buildings greedily collected the flowing nutrients all for themselves. The venues of clan heads and officials in power. The madness was lessened here, as if the war was still very far away.

"I want to see him."

Jiraiya looked melancholic, "I knew you would. But you need to understand, he isn't the boy you remember."

"All the same, I need to see him. My people are going to die for him."

Jiraiya relented, he knew he couldn't argue the point with their ally. "Tsunade said you would. We can go now. It's already been arranged." Jiraiya stopped, "Gaara."

He halted. He'd rarely seen Jiraiya this tense, and it always came with a warning, one that if ignored could lead to tragedy. "Have you heard his other name?"

His new one. He had. "Darth Rathmael. Lord of the Sith."

"Does that title mean anything to you?"

"No."

"Nor to me, and I've been looking. If I can't find it, it's either in Rain, or it doesn't exist. I'd say a part of him went mad in that cell, but..." He paused, and sounded afraid, "I've seen his power. There's nothing human about it."

Gaara thought on Jiraiya's warning as they walked onward in silence. Jiraiya changed course and led Gaara to the Hyuga compound. Gaara had heard the rumors, word spread quickly in a world where men controlled the wind. But his accounts had all been hearsay, too far from the source to be reliable. Now seeing the fear on Jiraiya, radiating like a camp fire, he could believe there was truth to them. But he wanted to believe that a part of the boy who helped save him was there. And if there was, and he was lost, then he would return the favor. He would save him too.

They passed through a small group camped out before the compound. Why they were camped there, Gaara did not know, and Jiraiya did not explain it. Many were praying, or gazing at the compound with resentment in their eyes. As if its walls were keeping them from fields of paradise.

The Hyuga deserved commendation for their quick recovery. Damaged walls were already being replaced by stone freshly carved from the quarry. The great hall was alive with workers laying the wooden frames of a structure just as grand, soon the damage would be completely forgotten. In a time of rationing, the Hyuga had no trouble amassing resources to reform their glory.

Two ANBU squads protected the front walls, and Gaara suspected there were more around each corner. The insides would be patrolled only by the Hyuga. The leader with black hair and a crow mask approached them, "Halt, this is a secured area."

Jiraiya waved, "The Kazekage is authorized to visit the prize," it seemed to be a coverterm for Naruto, Gaara thought.

"I'm already informed. Regardless, I'll have to check you for transformations."

Gaara said, lowly enough for only the captain to hear, "I'm sure you've already looked us over, Uchiha."

Sasuke flinched ever so minutely. He cautiously checked over his shoulder to make sure his subordinates hadn't heard. Only in ANBU, a command without faces, could a convicted traitor succeed.

The gate opened, Hiashi stepped through, "I can see they're genuine. You can let them through, captain."

Sasuke looked back and nodded. "Yes...Lord Hyuga." Gaara caught some spite in Sasuke's voice. "You may go."

Hiashi welcomed them, "Lord Kazekage, It's my pleasure."

"I disagree, it is mine." He said formally, "I see the repairs are moving along nicely."

"The Hyuga will not be hindered by terrorists. We will persevere as we have always done."

But as Hiashi guided them through his compound, Gaara wondered how true that was. As a politician, and as a warrior, Gaara required a quick, accurate read on people. And the Hyuga were tired. Branch members stood their posts without complaint, but Gaara was suspicious things would be different without the caged-bird seals. Even Hiashi looked drained. Gaara wondered when the man last slept.

Hiashi led them to a chamber in the heart of the compound and knocked on the wooden door, "He's here."

"Just a minute," a feminine voice called. The door opened moments later and Hinata stepped out, she must have been keeping him company. "He's ready for you. Just inside. He wants to speak with Gaara alone."

Jiraiya turned, "I expected this. I'll leave this to you."

Gaara asked, "You won't come?"

"I spoke with him once already. It...well, maybe you'll have more luck than me. Go, Gaara."

Gaara nodded and passed Hinata into the room, the door closed behind him. No one had moved to close it.

The room was dark, the walls were too dense to allow in light, and the generous windows were sealed shut. Only a few candles to his left on a small table allowed a sliver of incandescence. Gaara could see a form shifting in the shadows behind their glow. The hero he remembered, only taller.

"Come closer," he whispered, his voice was like putting on a clean silk robe.

Gaara approached, stopping where the shadows were darkest before the center of the room. Naruto stepped closer, just into the light. He looked good, beautiful. A far change from the husk initial reporting had described.

"I've been waiting for you."

Gaara asked, "They told you I was coming?"

"That's inconsequential." He looked over him, or _through_ him. "Kazekage. My belated congratulations."

"Thank you." He wanted to say more. There were words he'd prepared since his change. He'd pictured expressing them after the Sasuke Retrieval mission, but the one they were meant for had never returned. Now miraculously he was here. And where had the words gone? They hadn't disappeared, they were in his core as if they'd been incubating, waiting for the proper moment. They just refused to come, as if he suddenly forgot the language, or there was some other wall between them.

"You're here to fight my war."

Gaara spoke, words of war flowed smoothly unlike those of the heart, "The Sand stands with its allies. We won't let Akatsuki capture the last of the beast. Whatever they're planning, we're certain the villages will suffer."

"Yes, their broken version of peace. Their vision is limited."

Gaara snapped, "Naruto, do you know what they're planning? Have you told anyone?"

"Ignore it, that's not important." Gaara waited, and Naruto smiled. "They won't let me fight. They'll send you, your men, and thousands of their own before they'd believe in my strength. Are you willing to send your people to die in vain?"

Ah, tactics, the familiar. Far easier to express. "Their entire war is based around capturing you, we can't have you in the field. It's too great a risk."

"Opposing one chosen by The Force is a greater risk than warring with any army in the galaxy." Naruto smiled like a man with a secret he was just bursting to share. "Have they told you about me? The leaders don't want to believe, and have muzzled my words. But I know word of The Force is spreading."

Gaara now suspected he knew who the people camped outside the compound were. They were believers. "It sounds like gravity manipulation, or telekinesis. Nothing unheard of in the ninja world."

"Gaara, I expect closed minds from them, not from you. They're trying to make reality fit their tidy little worlds." Naruto looked into Gaara and asked, "You want to know about The Force? I sense you do."

He felt light, as if Naruto were trying to pick him up and carry him away. Stories were spreading about the force, but there wasn't enough to paint a picture, or too abstract to understand. Now it seemed Naruto was prepared to hand him a thesis on the subject. Gaara wondered why now, why him, but knew he needed to hear the answers. "Tell me everything, then."

Naruto was pleased, "Where do shinobi get their power?"

"From their chakra, the ying yang of body and mind." Gaara answered, frustrated that he was being quizzed on basics.

"Yes, from within. Now what is The Force?"

"Energy from without."

Naruto looked amused, like he'd heard a child call their finger-painting fine art. "Not quite. I need you to think, Gaara. Reject the narrow reality we've been fed. Open yourself to more."

"Enough. Either tell me or change the subject. Don't string me along."

Naruto grinned, "Impatient. That's good." Naruto mused, spreading his arms wide. "The Force is more than energy. It is life's counterpart, it's the strings that connect all living things together. It exists where all else should die, death has no hold on The Force. It binds us all, in every village, every country, every planet...The Force is the great uniter.

"And it listens to our hearts, and it moves to our desires like a mother to us all. And when we grow, when we first learn to speak to it, it listens, and it obeys. Our people have not felt The Force since..." he did not finish the thought.

Gaara asked, "And what does this have to do with your name? Or your title?"

"The Force christened me in the dark. Darth Rathmael, Dark Lord of the Sith. I'm not the only one who claims that title. But I am the only one who's worthy by The Force."

"But what does it mean? What are the Sith you lord over?" Gaara wondered why Naruto was telling him this.

Naruto tempered his excitement and explained, "We do not speak with The Force in words. Our bond flows through our emotions, and through them it knows our desires. Our emotions exist on a spectrum, with joy on one end and fear on the other. All other emotions fall between these two, and they can sing together. Think of this spectrum as a grand orchestra playing in chaotic harmony. And fear is the first, it is the root of all emotions. It is the bass that supports the chorus."

"Why does everything begin with fear? If the spectrum is equal, why not begin with joy?"

"Everything human begins from fear. We do not fight war for joy, we fight for fear of consequence. And now you fear the consequence of Akatsuki completing their plans. So you act until you are secure, until you fear again. Fear is what moves us, it is the drive to change and adapt and survive. It is that desire that reaches The Force. And I have learned to capture The Force and make it flow as I will. It is mine, it obeys me!"

Gaara found a worrying madness in his enthusiasm as Naruto crossed from his foundation of fear into the joy of control. Control over what? This force? If it was as great as he described, what made him think he was the authority? And if he was...if everything he said was true, what kind of song would his emotional orchestra play?

"This is the final leap of humankind, Gaara. It is transcendence into a more perfect whole. Once you open yourself to the message of infinity, you will become complete." Gaara flinched as Naruto offered him his hand, it crept from the shadows into the light of the flickering flames. "I can show you more. I can teach you to feel it."

Gaara looked to the hand and wondered if he took it, would he be pulled back into the darkness? If it did, Gaara did not think it was a path he could travel. Maybe the angry boy that he was, but not now. And he wondered how isolation could have twisted the idealistic boy he had associated with empathy and selflessness into its disciple.

Gaara stepped back, "I should go to the Hokage. We need to prepare our fortifications."

Naruto withdrew into the shadows. He turned and looked into the black and hissed, "Go then. You are too small-minded and weak."

Gaara was familiar with Konoha's will of fire, the enduring will of commune and purpose. He had hoped a sliver of that will had survived through Naruto's torment and that he could help the man heal, as he'd once done for him. But he mourned that there was nothing left of the boy he remembered, and he suspected Naruto, or Rathmael, felt the same for him.

Gaara left the stranger to his darkness and wondered if there was only so much goodness allowed in the world, as if nature, perhaps even Rathmael's force, demanded a balance. Had his own change of heart been exchanged at the price of that boy's brightness? What a cruel reality it would be if it were true. They would live in a never-ending struggle for limited happiness. If that happiness was knowingly taken from others, would that make it any less powerful? Gaara feared his own thoughts.

He stepped outside and found Jiraiya was waiting with someone new. Tsunade gave him her full attention as he walked into the center of the compound. She looked well for a woman planning a war, which wasn't to say she looked good. Gaara privately wondered how many drugs she was on. He was used to living without sleep. Most people weren't, including Kages.

"Lord Kazekage, it's good to see you."

"Likewise, Lady Hokage. I was expecting to meet you in the tower."

"I thought you might stop here. What did he say?"

Gaara wondered if he should tell them. To his knowledge, he'd never offered to teach this mysterious power. Why him? Had Rathmael expected to find a kernel of darkness that now infected himself? Gaara had freed himself of that isolation long ago. If Rathmael had searching for that deep loathing and anger, one that perhaps mirrored his own, he could be more dangerous than Konoha realized. He knew he had to bring it up to Tsunade. But not now. He decided he would when they reached her tower. In private.

"Nothing worth repeating." At least now, maybe after they finalized their defenses. "Shall we head to the wall? I'd like to assess our fortifications myself."

Tsunade nodded, "Jiraiya briefed me about your forces. Let's walk and talk."

Gaara found himself backtracking with the remaining two of the legendary trio towards the great gate. He asked Tsunade, "How long will you wait for the siege?"

"We've stored dried grains in the mountain for decades. Our people aren't going to starve, and neither will your men."

"What about water? They might divert the northern river."

"There's an aquifer eighty meters below our feet. Konoha is never ill-prepared to defend our village."

"And the economy? Clients can't reach the village. Neither can merchants. How long will you keep this defensive posture?"

"Until we push back Rain, or they change their posture. Rain can't remain mobilized for long, our scouting forces have blockaded their own trade routes. We can survive longer without trade than Rain."

Jiraiya spoke up, "They're also more willing to sacrifice their own well-being to succeed. We should be careful."

They crossed into the central plaza, a beehive of merchants, performers and shoppers just shy of desperate. Tsunade may insist that everything was stable, but the message was not reaching the masses. The loss of so many elites was breaking down chains of command throughout the village. It's amazing what chaos can erupt when the proper people aren't telling you everything will be fine.

"No population endures radical lifestyle changes for long. Any discord we can cause will create more problems for the leaders at home."

Jiraiya was unimpressed, "This is a holy war for them. They look up every day and see their god. I don't think you're fully appreciating the role religion will play in this war."

Gaara interjected, "Do we believe their forces will move soon?" Jiraiya nodded, and Gaara said, "Then I call the issue moot. If they attack, we defend. If they position themselves elsewhere, we reassess."

Tsunade nodded, "That seems appropriate. We-"

An object came crashing down from the sky, cracking the earth and blowing dust across the square. Gaara shielded himself and his comrades from the blast with his sand. All around them the civilians were howling, stampeding from the intrusion. Gaara cracked his sand and blew away the dust to reveal the man standing in the crater. His face was pierced in ways that made it look difficult to breathe, his orange hair glistened unnaturally and he wore the long slender cloak of the Akatsuki. His striking rinnegan pierced them completely.

Jiraiya stared as if seeing a ghost from his regrets, "Y-Yahiko?"

"Master Jiraiya." The man said, before greeting them all in turn. "I am the man who leads the Akatsuki. I am Pain. I am God."

Gaara was more certain that Tsunade was on drugs with how calmly she responded, "What a pleasure. What are you doing here alone?"

"I've come to bargain for the Nine-Tailed Fox."

"I wasn't aware Akatsuki bargained."

Jiraiya said, "They don't. But with Deidara's failure, I imagine it's preferable to war."

Pain said, "Astute as always, master."

Gaara asked, "Did you come with terms?"

"Of course. Give me Uzumaki, and we will take no one else. This conflict can end before it begins, and we will have peace. Your village has suffered enough at Orochimaru's treachery. Don't make your people the victims."

Tsunade said, "Your ambassador has already seen to that. Over a hundred people died in Deidara's attack."

"Resist us and the rest of your people will join them."

Gaara said, "It's never just one. It's one more. Over and over, until no one is left."

Tsunade agreed, "Uzumaki is off the table."

Pain closed his eyes, "This was fated to fail. You people only respect force."

Tsunade said, "I knew we'd never reach any agreement. If you attack, you'll break against our walls. You must know your army could never-"

Pain spread his arms, "Almighty push!"

Reality warped and exploded, sending them and the remaining civilians flying. The three shinobi were flung through the square, but caught themselves with ease nearly thirty meters away. They heard Pain shouting, "Summoning realm!"

Jiraiya's eyes went wide with fear, "Stop him! He's-"

"Grand summoning jutsu!"

The earth buckled under a sudden great weight and the air was filled with fog blasting them like a hurricane. Gaara readied his sand for the attack. He expected some gigantic beast and wondered if he could choke it with a sand collar.

The smoke cleared. No beasts. Pain had summoned his entire army. They lined the roofs, the square, and the streets beyond.

Pain rose into the sky and commanded, "Go! Find the jinchuriki! Burn the village if you must! Kill any non-believer who stands in your way! Judgment has come for the Leaf!"

A single, unified cry echoed zealously beyond the village walls. It was the sound of the end of the world.

 **A/N**

Here's to an end of peace, and the dawning of an era of painful growth. The way of the dark side is change, and any movement inevitably creates friction. What material is lost must be worth the journey, and even better if what is lost was nothing worth keeping.

I'm curious what your thoughts on our protagonist are, and if there's even agreement on who the protagonist is. Perhaps that's becoming lost in the shifting perspectives. Who are you hoping comes out triumphant so far in this bed of chaos? I'm interested if there's any consensus.


	9. The Last Day of Shinobi

**The Will of the Force**

 **Chapter 9**

 **The Last Day of Shinobi**

 **~I~**

Choji's last day began in practiced routine. He'd woken up at a reasonable hour knowing his watch on the wall wouldn't begin until midday. After a slow, heated bath with water just hot enough to be uncomfortable, he ate a full breakfast in the clan halls, going for thirds of his favorite dish, the seared trout he'd caught with Shikamaru the day before. The clock hand was rounding nine when he finished, so he took a walk around the village to the markets. He bought some fried squid as an after-breakfast snack and enjoyed it in a nearby park he frequented with his girlfriend. It was quiet compared to the bluster of the markets as people scavenged the stalls for the last goods in stock. The gentle sunlight coaxed him to rest as if the world could stop turning for just a few more hours. Choji wanted to believe, his mind pondered if there were a reasonable excuse for arriving a few hours late. Just this once. But every minute delayed was a minute some sleep-deprived guardian grumbled for their relief. Choji had been that man too many times to do it to another willingly. Duty called. So he returned and donned his uniform before heading to the walls. He had to run to make it just before turnover. After barely avoiding his counseling, he and two others settled into his post at the battlement and watched the forest. He tried to smell the familiar forest musk of homeland heartwood in the herb-scented breeze as it howled through the leaves. Of all the jobs he could have, this was far from the worst.

Then he heard an enormous, deafening pop like a world cannon behind him.

The watch turned and saw the massive plume of smoke bursting above the village. The third watchstander, a genin named Haru, gawked and said, "By the gods, it's bigger than the attack on the Hyuga!"

Choji said, "That's no explosion."

They all wondered what to do. Their watch captain, a long jonin named Kezai, had the unfortunate responsibility to act like he had the answer. He said, "it's something else. A summoning."

Choji said, "It's too big to be a summoning."

The smoke began to rise like a mushroom. A dooming voice echoed through the village, "Go! Find the jinchuriki! Burn the village if you must! Kill any non-believer who stands in your way! Judgment has come for the Leaf!"

Thunder filled the sky, a thunder of zealous joy for battle. And then the masses emerged through the diminishing fog. Thousands of dots spread through their village as if someone had burst a giant water balloon over it, letting the killing liquid flood them inside their own walls. It wasn't long before they heard the first screams.

Kezai said, "It's Rain..."

Choji was aghast, "It can't be, how could they-"

"It doesn't matter!" The grizzled jonin pointed to the genin and ordered, "Haru, stay here and man the watch! Look for a secondary force coming through the forests! Choji, you're with me!"

Haru looked nervous, "You think I can do this on my own?"

No, but Choji knew that didn't matter, it was their only choice.

Kezai nodded and scanned the other battlements. Dozens of captains were planning with their team. Some were already moving, either abandoning their posts entirely or doing as they were and leaving one or two bodies behind.

"Our priority is containment. We'll set up a perimeter to allow the villagers to escape."

Choji asked, "What about the civilians inside that perimeter with Rain?"

Kezai didn't answer. "Give the Leaf your best today. I won't accept anything less. On me!"

Choji followed Kezai as he leaped to the village rooftops. Far ahead near the village center they saw the first fires began to rise. Flames bright in the afternoon heat climbed their first victim like a drowning man clawing for land. More would follow, Konoha was packed tight like a merchant cart ready for shipping. It hadn't always been so, but as Konoha prospered and her population grew, her walls strained under the demands of her bulging populace. So they built closer and tighter, and when that wasn't enough, they built taller. Konoha's grand blossoming would reduce itself to embers unless they could put those fires out.

But there would be challenge just reaching those flames: Konoha was overstuffed, but it was still a village prepped for war. Her exterior was mapped to funnel enemies into choke points deeper inside the village in an endless series of subtle fortifications. These defenses were ever-present and easily overlooked to the common citizen: architecture that could be used as barriers, alleys for ambush. All were designed to give her defenders every advantage the Hokage's planners could imagine in their comfortable seats in the red tower.

But now the enemy was inside the walls, and it was her own shinobi, her very blood cells fighting to her core. Akatsuki had Konoha's traitors in their ranks, men who knew Konoha as well as their own bodies! If these shinobi were well-trained, as Jiraiya ensured us they were, they would use the construction against the Leaf. Their villager proper was their enemy now.

Choji's eyes pinwheeled to every shadow and crook, anywhere where a kunai could strike with the swiftness of a python. He thought back to his village defense training, trying to remember the various indicators of hidden doors and false walls where they, but now some Rain ninja, could hide in waiting. A part of him felt foolish, the Rain obviously hadn't been able to press this far yet. But in the moment, everything appeared ready to open and swallow him. His heart pounded more fiercely like a prisoner trapped in a cell desperate for release with every passing roof, one closer to the chaos.

Konoha had been invaded only once in Choji's life, and he'd been hypnotized into slumber. He could only see it at a distance in the darkening eyes of his friends as shattered innocence at their enduring vulnerability. Now his was taken forcefully, and it took a newer, more primal courage he didn't know he had to keep him running in the right direction. And even that might not have been enough. But he could look at Kezai. The man was a veteran of invasions and world wars. His mere presence reminded Choji that even if he'd never experienced it himself, there was something beyond all this horribleness. He wanted to believe it would be there for him as well. He stole some of the man's cool conviction and followed him into hell.

Kezai's eyes caught something below and he ordered Choji to halt. They looked over the ledge and saw a wave of people. Villagers rushing towards the exit. Two chunin were trying to get their attention with flailing arms and cries beaten by the deafening disorder.

Kezai recognized one of them. Choji followed him as the leaped next to the chunin grasping for the slightest thread of procedure. "Azaru, what's happening?"

Azaru, a short man with off-colored eyes, wiped away sweat and said, "It's madness! They're rushing the gate trying to escape!"

Choji said, "The whole village has been warned the roads are trapped!"

Azaru pointed to the Hokage mountain, "They don't have a choice! The enemy is between them and the only shelter that can hold everyone!"

Kezai said, "They won't get out, the guards will have closed the gates...which means..." He tensed, "They'll crush each other trying to get to it."

Azaru nodded, "They're a stampede with nowhere to run. We need to direct them elsewhere."

"But where?" Choji asked. Where else was there to go? Azaru didn't answer.

Kezai said, "Everyone pressing in is one loose containment force. If we keep the civilians behind us, we can-look out!" Choji saw it, shuriken flying in their direction. He grabbed Azaru and pulled him away; a single shuriken grazed through the man's shoulder.

"Five of them! Get ready!" Kezai shouted as he turned. Five Rain shinobi descended from the sky like archangels falling from heaven. The civilians screamed and scattered for shelter, through doors, windows, and even into the sewers.

"Throw me at them!" Azaru said. Choji didn't question the request and continued spinning, twice around and he flung Azaru into the swarm. The two on the left flank pulled out kunais in unison like a timed performance. Azaru thrust his arm forward and something sparkled like prisming glass. Choji didn't watch to see what happened, there were three more to contend with.

Kezai met the leader with his blade he'd received from his time in ANBU. Another ninja, toe-headed and limber, rushed his side. Kezai twirled in the air and kicked the ninja towards Choji, "Take him!"

Choji watched the ninja dance into balance and catch his eye, then storm him with the recklessness of a blind man convincing himself he could see. The fear of death was cleansed from the stretching Rain ninja through blindness of otherworldly faith. Choji forgot his own faith to fear, but that fear began to transform in a familiar way. Fear always lingered before the danger, but when danger arrived, fear transformed into fuel, the angry desperation to stay alive.

Choji roared and expanded his arm. The bloated limb lashed out to snatch the Rain ninja, but he dodged with such speed he could rival Lee. He glided along Choji's wrist while dragging a kunai through his flesh. Choji recoiled and expanded both arms, trying to catch the invader and knowing he only had to succeed once. But the toe-headed man was like a fly, or Choji's hands were coated with butter, and he always just escaped while nicking him like a bug.

There was a scream to his side and Choji saw Azura's partner fall, his jugular opened twice by swarming shuriken. The leaf ninja squirmed in a growing pool of blood and his attacker set her sights on Choji. The chunin was trapped on both sides and outstripped as far as speed. They smirked like predators at trapped prey.

"End of the line, fatass."

The woman raised her blade, "For God."

The rushed, so raptured in their divine purpose that it became tunnel vision and they didn't see what Choji saw: Kezai snapped their ally's neck and hopped to kick the agile man from behind. Choji saw and prepared, bringing his hands into a triangle, "Expansion jutsu!"

He swelled, steaming thick wisps of chakra as he balled and began to roll. Kezai kicked the man, who stumbled. Choji roared, "Roll roll roll roll roll!", steamrolling into the man's path, a one-man stampede reaving apart the earth like a digger preparing foundation. The Rain's faith did not save him as Choji rammed him into a nearby street stall.

Choji shrank and hopped away from shattered timber and crushed spuds. Kezai prepared to rush the last shinobi. To his left he saw a wounded Azaru dueling a brutish man with one arm. But behind him Choji saw more coming, These must have been the vanguard, the rest were coming to push the front.

"Incoming! Get back!" Choji announced. Kezai didn't look, he couldn't divide his attention.

Choji was alone. Rain was coming, individual droplets merging into a swallowing flood of faith in a false god. But Choji, having numbed his fear, remembered their own universal faith. It was something he believed so strongly, perhaps the Rain ninja could empathize. Faith in comrade, in that inextinguishable Will of Fire. And no flood could put that fire out!

"Expansion jutsu!" Chakra exploded in every cell of his body, stretching it into trillions of united swollen masses. And Choji grew until he was part of the skyline!

"Oi! I have a message for you invaders!" Choji scraped his foot across the street, creating a deep line, "No further! I, Choji of the Akimichi clan, chunin of the Village hidden in the Leaves, will not let you pass!" He stepped over the line, ready to plug the flood with his mass. The earth trembled as if it might crumble into brittle shards under his feet.

The giant met the flood, and he strained, but did not break. He slammed the ground with his engorged palms like the earth was his personal drum, the vibrations shaking ninja free of their holds on the buildings. He snatched them up and flung them like an oversized catapult into the forest and the horrors prepared for them.

The flood tested their heathen dam. Insects crawled on his ankles, up his legs. Choji swept them aside and stomped them into the earth. One leaped from his perch on the tallest building and landed on his arm, ready to bury the length of his blade in Choji's arm. He would have succeeded, if Kezai hadn't appeared and cleaved him in two.

But where one failed, more were ready to succeed. Even as their dead continued to pile, they showed no fear, no earthly doubt in their assault. Whether they survive this final holy war, or perish into the afterlife, all roads led to their promised paradise through the veil of torment and pain. They climbed the giant faster than Choji could sweep them away. Their blades cut skin into swelling muscles. But still Choji fought, through pain and a hundred microscopic cuts.

There was a red star falling from heaven. A single bolt of burning skin and bulging muscles tearing under the pressure of absolute ability. The suicide fighter roared through the sky as if he were an angel who'd lost his wings. His heart slamming inside his chest like a drum of his own with the pressure of eight unleashed gates. He readied a single, flaming fist with all his energy, a single focused point against the great swollen man. He cried, "For The Almighty!"

Choji saw only a red blur, but he felt his throat cave in from a single, ultimate punch. The giant tilted, arched as if to dive, and fell to the earth. The buildings swayed as the earth trembled, trying to hold the fallen man without breaking.

When Choji awoke, the village was once again giant. He was being dragged through familiar streets, pasts florists and peddlers that would never be the same again.

Someone grabbed his hair and lifted his head. He strained and looked around. He gasped, Kezai was next to him. His eyes were missing and his breathing strained like he was breathing through a plastic bag. He tried to speak, but it came out hoarsely, "Kezai..."

Rain shinobi surrounded the pair. More arrived slowly with victims, including Azura and his wounded partner who was still breathing through the tear in his throat, along with those unfortunate civilians with nowhere to hide. They lined them up after Choji.

Those in front parted and a man in white robes, stained dark in the front, stepped forward. He carried to items: a leather flail with steel studs and a plain dagger that was jagged as if it were sharpened by beating it against a tree. His eyes were covered, cloth covering all but his broken lips. As he moved, Choji saw that his robes had no covering from his shoulders to his lower back, making it look more like an apron. His back, scarred and infected, was open for all to see.

He knelt in front of Kezai, lingering as if taking in the sight of his face. Then he began a prayer, "Let Pain be your key, freeing you from this miserable existence, brother." Suddenly he whipped the flail, bringing it against his own flesh in a sickening, sticky flash. He cried, Choji thought it might be more from pleasure than pain, "Hear me God, save this one with your agony!"

He moaned as he thrust the blade into Kezai's stomach, and raked it through his intestines like he was solving a maze. Fresh blood stained the old on his tainted robes. Kezai whimpered, but could not cry, even if his expression showed he wanted to. Pain's priest let it linger, the death was not quick. It was malingering.

The priest finally withdrew the knife. Kezai fell to his side facing Choji, struggling to breathe as his insides rushed to freedom. His breathing was desperate, instinctual, for it was all he had left. Choji heard every labored breath for minutes.

Breathing.

Breathing.

Breathing…

Nothing.

Kezai went silent, and the priest turned to Choji. He genuflected in front of him and began again, "Let Pain be your key, freeing you from this miserable existence, brother."

Choji did not. He spat as best he could through his damaged throat in defiance and fear, "You monster! You butchered him, you monster!"

The ritual began anew. The priest mutilated himself and took his blade, "Hear me God, save this one with your agony!"

The dull blade slid through his armor like butter, some spell melted it. There was no shock to dull his pain, the pain was unnatural, and unbearable. Choji cried through his broken trachea as he dragged the blade through him. He felt things tearing he'd never felt before, and then there was burning, and the deepest ache. Choji rolled on his side and fought to breathe.

Life did not flash before his eyes. He did not remember those afternoon on the soft grass staring into the clouds with Shikamaru. No faces of friends, family or loves crossed his mind. The pain stole those final moments, it consumed them greedily as Choji himself would a feast, and gave the dying man nothing but itself.

Breathing.

Breathing.

Breathing…

Nothing.

 **~II~**

It was quiet when Tsunade woke as if from a scheduled afternoon nap. Her mind jolted to life as if it was a sprinter on the world stage. As a ninja, the time between waking up and true alertness could be fatal. She'd trained herself to narrow this period to seconds early in her career by setting a trap to drop a brick on her moments after she showed signs of waking. The threat of pain was a wonderful motivator for her mind to snap away from slothful malingering. Even now, she still expected a falling brick when she first opened her eyes.

Gaara and Shikaku were speaking in front of her position on the ground. A medic was over her. Moren, she remembered, an older shinobi working in the general hospital after a decade in ANBU. His hands still lingered in the afterglow of the mystic palms. He left as Gaara and Shikaku saw her sit up and knelt beside her. More shinobi were surrounding her, a mix of ANBU and uniformed ninja standing guard. She watched Gaara's lips move, but heard nothing. Her eardrums had burst, she mused. Moren must have been healing her more immediate injuries.

"Wait," She commanded as her hands glowed green, she brought them to her ears and mended them in moments. She looked up, a dark cloud was spreading across the sky like oil over a pan. The distance was obscured by the layers of falling rain thicker than Konoha could remember. "What happened? How did we get here?"

"You and Jiraiya were knocked unconscious by Pain's second blast. That was twenty minutes ago."

"Is Jiraiya-"

"He's fine," Shikaku added, "He's joined the defense. He's pushing back to the village center with five-hundred shinobi."

"What about Pain and the rest of Akatsuki?"

"He disappeared, and none of our runners reported Akatsuki sightings."

"Yet," Gaara added.

"How bad is our situation?"

Gaara stood, "Look for yourself."

She did. Standing was no trouble, but bearing what she saw was.

Konoha was burning. _Her village was burning!_ The core was one united pyre with flames reaching over ten meters high, and they were spreading. Guarding this land, and the people who called it home, that was the Hokage's duty. Her duty! And she failed spectacularly today.

But she didn't let herself dwell on her failure to prevent the greatest disaster Konoha had ever witnessed. That could come later in the inquiries, and the glares, and the private moments comforting her sake cup. There was too much work to do now. "Are we containing them?"

Shikaku said, "Barely. We never trained to push _into_ our own village. But the eastern wall is holding about twelve kilometers from the central markets. The western garrison is holding fourteen kilometers out, but the northern forces are losing ground twenty kilometers out. We need to reinforce them, or they'll begin flanking our lateral defenses."

"Are they pushing towards the mountain?"

"Yes, but our ANBU headquarters is near the tower, the entire garrison was deployed to hold the line. They're not making progress."

"What about the civilians?"

Shikaku went grim, "Most of the survivors are pressing against the walls. We don't have the forces to shepherd them around the perimeter into the shelters."

Gaara added, "Some have begun climbing over the walls using ropes. They're fleeing into the forests."

Tsunade nodded grimly, "We run drills for the civilians, teaching them to run into the mountain shelters. They don't know what to do."

Gaara said, "No one does. Defenses are disorganized, the chain of command is broken."

Tsunade said, "Not anymore. Lord Kazekage, we're joining the fight."

Gaara nodded, "In your village, I'll follow your lead. Just say the word."

Tsunade turned to her shinobi, now facing her expectantly. She would have given a fiery speech that would have ignited their hearts with that glorious thing called the Will of Fire. She would have. But then the sky opened and the rain stopped.

A great god-ray pierced through smoke and cloud. It was small, focused, a narrow column of light. Gaara said, "Is it Pain?"

Shikaku pointed with his one arm, "It must be, it's over the Hyuga compound. He know where Naruto is, and he's directing his forces there!"

No time for speeches, Tsunade decided. "So we'll meet them there. Konoha's counterattack begins now!"

 **~III~**

Hyuga Kotsu was no one important. He was birthed into the branch family so far removed from the main family he couldn't be sure they were properly related. He didn't excel as a shinobi, nor were his blunders serious enough to remove him from his duties, which were always menial and inconsequential. This suited Kotsu perfectly. He found pleasure in the simple activities of the day, the easily repeatable successes such as cooking a complete meal, or cleaning your bedchamber to the point of acceptability. It was comfortable, and that was all he wanted.

Kotsu remembered his first meeting with his jonin instructor nearly twelve years ago. Menzu Kanizuri was an older shinobi, or at least he appeared to be. The man's leathery face was covered with either wrinkles or badly-healed scars, he'd never bothered to ask. He'd asked each of his genin about their passions and dreams that drove them. Kotsu's teammates were practically bursting to share their imagined futures filled with grandeur and accomplishments worth writing down in some best-selling novel. Kotsu didn't get it. He just didn't want to get kicked out of his clan. Every Hyuga was a shinobi, every branch must be prepared to defend their heart.

It seemed the village was full of idealistic would-be heroes ready to brave the dangers of the world. That suited Kotsu just fine, let them have the glory and the challenge. They'd be off gallivanting the globe on assignment, and he'd come home to his comfy bed after his shift. Everyone ended up happy.

Guard duty was his favorite duty of all. Eight hour shifts with foreseeable breaks where all he had to do was stand still. Plenty of time to think about nothing important to anyone else. Just stand and look official. So when he was assigned to guard the Hyuga guest of honor, he shrugged and showed up in crisp, clean robes at the start of his watch.

It just so happened that he was one of two on shift when the apocolypse began.

Suddenly, he was no longer a guard. He was the last line of defense, the one everyone would be counting on if all else failed. The final shield in the firing line. Exactly where Kotsu never wanted to be.

The screaming and smoke closed in, the walls of hell coming to swallow him in torment.

" _Do not leave your post!"_ Lord Hyuga's final words. But what was he supposed to do against this wave killing thousands? What did Lord Hyuga expect him to do? Why did he have to come up with the miracle?

He dared not use his byakugan, he didn't want to see the madness beyond the compound's walls. He wanted to pretend it was still far away, or that some miracle would halt it before it reached him. All he wanted was his quiet life back. Who thought to bring this war to him? And where were Konoha's stock of heroes now!?

"Hey," His fellow guard, Hyuga Himashi, said, "Just breathe. We'll get through this."

Kotsu narrowed his eyes and made no response. Empty words. Himashi, one of Lord Hyuga's most loyal followers. He believes the Hyuga have never been stronger since Hiashi took over leadership of the clan. He believed in the same sort of greatness his old team spouted like some holy word. Tell that to Hanabi and everyone else who died here. Now we're gonna die too…

 _You are afraid._

Kotsu hitched. What was that?

 _You should be._

The voice came from inside his head. Was it his own? No, this one was confident. In control.

 _You're going to die today._

The absoluteness overwhelmed him and he felt a tear forming in his eye. He didn't want to die…

 _The light of the fires will shine through you until you are nothing._

He wanted to flee to his room and shut the door and pretend this was all a dream. A nightmare that he might wake up from. But no, what little sense of duty he had pinned his feet to the ground. To his death…

 _Unless._

He breathed. This strange echo had an answer! Please, keep going!

 _Release me._

He turned, the voice was his! Darth Rathmael! He was speaking...to him!

 _You have heard of The Force._

"I have." He whispered, feeling he would be heard.

Himachi looked at him, "What are you doing?"

 _You want to believe._

"I do...please!"

 _I want to save you..._

The spark of hope filled him with numb joy, the tear of despair turned to joy.

 _But...he will not let you._

Kotsu turned, Himachi was eyeing him, "What's wrong with you? Lord Hyuga told us to be vigilant."

 _Believe._

"I..." Kotsu muttered, "I do..."

 _Prove your faith. Release me._

Kotsu looked at the barred door. A sealing paper sealed the room. He couldn't remove it alone. Only two Hyuga working together could tear it.

He turned to the orange glow beyond the walls, the rising smoke. He listened to the cries of death and suffering. He turned to the door. It appeared to shift, bending into a long spiraling corridor drifting further away. He had to act before it was gone!

"Himachi...we have to open it."

His comrade hardened, "You've lost it."

"You don't hear it?" Kotsu realized Rathmael was speaking to him. Only to him.

"I knew you were weak. Go to the front with Lord Hyuga. Find your relief and send them here."

Kotsu shook his head, "No. I'm not going out there."

Himachi took a step, "I said go."

Kotsu closed his eyes, feeling a tear trail his cheek. He couldn't see reason, he was blinded by so-called duty. Another would-be hero of the Leaf...

"Fine. I'll make you." Himachi moved to grab him.

 _It's your time. Be the hero. Do what must be done._

But heroes were dying everywhere, one more would rather cage their only chance. If these were Konoha's heroes, they were too focused to see what the world really was. But Kotsu could see, he was never meant to be a hero. That must be why the savior chose him! To save these heroes from themselves!

"Yes, my Lord...!"

His knife slipped between Himachi's ribs. Blood squirted over his pale robes. Himachi gasped and grabbed him in a desperate hug. They dropped to their knees in their embrace, lingering for a time as Himachi grew pale as a cloud on a clear day. Kotsu held him, feeling every struggle, then every twitch, until he only felt weight. His throat tightened as he gripped the still-warm body of his family.

 _Finish it._

Those words filled him with hope. Yes, this had purpose. This wasn't meaningless! Himachi's death would bring their salvation!

He carried Himachi's limp hand with his own to the seal, gripped it, and tore it open.

The doors slammed wide open, revealing darkness. Kotsu was still as footsteps echoed from the far end of the room. For a moment he expected a glowing god to emerge from the shadows. But the man that emerged did not glow, in fact he seemed to kill the very light of the flames like a void in the world.

"Lord Rathmael..." Kotsu collapsed to his knees and stared beyond the gates into Nirvana. The battle became far away.

The extraordinary passed the ordinary without a word on his way to the slaughter.

 **A/N**

This chapter was delayed due to recent events in my life. Normally I don't intermingle my private life with this site, much as one may be different in their various social spheres, but in this instance I feel that I should. This change can, and I believe will, bring about future delays in the story. I don't know when, but I imagine they'll be sudden and unexpected. I've recently married, and with that comes a huge change to my daily living. How much time this will allow me to dedicate to reading, writing, and stories in general, I'm still not sure. But I know it will have an impact. Please be patient with me as I adjust, and know that I do intend to see this story through.

Thank you all for your patience with this one, and I hope that you enjoyed it. Here's to the next one, and the war it will bring.


	10. Nightfall

**The Will of the Force**

 **Chapter 10**

 **Nightfall**

 **~I~**

Sasuke never fell for the Will of Fire. Why would a village who's name was derived from the perennial forestation find solace in propaganda encouraging burning? And it was propaganda, Sasuke decided in the academy after the massacre of his clan. He admitted that it was good propaganda and maybe even well-meaning. And it was subjectively morally righteous compared to the others he knew of, such as the Mist's bloody hierarchy of killer strength or Rain's ardent devotion to their god. But like the aforementioned the Will of Fire served to inspire a nationalistic tribalism within the Leaf against the ever-obfuscated others.

That sentiment extended to everyone inside their walls regardless of personal predispositions. One could not opt out of inclusion. Perhaps that was what made Sasuke's departure from the Leaf so trivial in his eyes. The Leaf was just another plot of defined earth among thousands and anything making that a home had been buried long ago. His future couldn't belong there anymore even if the rest of the village insisted it did. He had been sick of the forced idealism in Konoha's bounty he was encouraged by everyone to swallow. So he let go and chose to wander from one vague patch of earth to another, one that might hold the power he desired. He chilled his dwindling flame and chose the path of the outsider.

He couldn't comprehend the consequences of this choice when Konoha came for him. They purged Orochimaru's lair while the snake was away and stole back his prize. Sasuke didn't resist and allowed them to return him to Konoha. He had no loyalty for Orochimaru, only the power he offered, and he received plenty in his brief tutelage. More than Konoha could have ever given him. He figured this new foundation would be enough to build something he could use, a weapon not found in Konoha.

But even before their return Sasuke felt something had changed. He expected looks of betrayal and harsh rebukes for his actions. He did not expect the distance. And he expected none of it from Kakashi. The man looked through him as if he were a window. They were no longer instructor and instructed. That bond had been left behind with all the others and the Will of Fire burned its tethers. It was the same as they marched him through Konoha's streets to the tree cells to await his trials. He saw faces of classmates and comrades watching him go. None shared any empathy. Sasuke was a leaf that had fallen from the great tree of Konoha and now the great tree would continue to shine as its child dried on the shaded floor. He thought on this in his week of isolation in the tree cells without coming to any conclusions. He remembered how the Mist dealt with their traitors and wondered if Konoha had similar practices. He began to fear for his future.

His trial was longer than he expected. The Hokage chaired the three-hour court hearing. Sasuke felt his heart chill when the prosecuting jonin requested the death penalty for treason. But his defense counsel, a weathered civilian attorney names Chazuo from outside the village, raised a valiant defense. He came from the Fire Country capital and had earned a name for himself defending the daimyo's financial interests. The man had been hired by a then-unnamed associate using a parcel of Uchiha inheritence as payment. He proved to be worth every coin.

He argued that given Sasuke's diminished health from his coma and the influence of the curse mark, which was proven to be active despite the containment seal during his battle against Gaara, Orochimaru may have influenced him to leave the village against his will. Or perhaps Itachi had placed him under a spell with tsukuyomi. And hadn't Orochimaru been associated with Akatsuki? Could they still have ties and Itachi was trying to curry favor with their associate? Sasuke burned at the lie, he was not ashamed in his choice. But the counsel told him to keep his mouth shut. He may have violated that simple order, but then they asked him about Naruto.

They asked what he could tell them about Naruto Uzumaki's disappearance. Sasuke was flabbergasted. What disappearance? He let the fool live and walked away. He asked and went numb at the answer. Naruto was never found. There was no body or blood after the rain washed the battlefield clean. The prosecution argued Sasuke had destroyed him. Sasuke was lost and couldn't respond.

The shock proved to help his case. His lawyer had never informed him of that second charge just so the Hokage could see the genuine shock on his face. The man confidently offered his lack of the mangekyou sharingan as evidence he had nothing to do with Naruto's death or disappearance. Both arguments were enough to cast reasonable doubt on Sasuke's actions and he was spared his head, and even his rank. He was placed on probationary status indefinitely until the Hokage felt assured in his moral character.

Sasuke was free, but only until the village walls. He was not permitted to leave for the duration of his probation, indefinite as it was. He stepped out of the court chambers alone as his attorney had departed with his earnings to more civilized company. Sakura was waiting for him. He now knew who hired his attorney. Her smile was so warm, so relieved that Sasuke may have fallen in love that very moment if he still had his heart.

He can't remember hearing her cry when he walked past her, but he imagines she did. He withdrew into himself and disappeared. Konoha was a world hub of activity and it was easy for a man to fade into the crowd. His life became routine of the familiar: seek power, become stronger, train! For years his life was a blur of practice and pain alone in the fields. The seasons passed and he just kept going, seeking a power all his own now that all other avenues to strength were closed. No one would train him and he had no sparring partners. He stole jutsu with his sharingan where he could by hiding in the trees or with illusions; this was the extent of his socializing.

It was a quiet and lonely life. It suited Sasuke. But there were days when he reluctantly admitted at the end of a long workout that some company would be nice. Maybe Kakashi would giggle into his book so that Sasuke could wonder what sleaze had desecrated the corpses of some poor tree. Sakura could ask him on a date and maybe this time he'd actually consider it. And Naruto…

He normally stopped thinking there. He didn't let himself go down that road and he hated himself for his curiosity. But sometimes he couldn't help himself from remembering the image of the grinning dreamer. As the years went by and the episodes became less frequent he wondered what he would look like, or what he did look like if he was still alive. That unknowing haunted the darkness in Sasuke's mind.

It broke him on his twentieth birthday, six-and-a-half years into his indefinite internment. He celebrated his first legal drink in the solitude of his studio and let his stewing resentment bubble and overflow. He cursed the world. He cursed Itachi and his still-pumping heart. He cursed Orochimaru for letting him be taken. He cursed Naruto for his absence when it should be him inside these walls, not Sasuke. He cursed himself the most for failing in everything he tried.

He woke the next day with two things: a hangover and a lesson. Something had to change. The world was leaving him behind. His former colleagues advanced in their stations as he observed from the haze of the public. He remained. Stronger, perhaps, but unaccomplished and immobile. Itachi was no closer to being dead. He knew his brother was still alive. He was waiting for Sasuke. But Sasuke was a prisoner without wearing chains. He needed an escape, or a fresh start. Or both.

He went to the Hokage tower that day and all but begged her for entry into ANBU, that faceless corps where people went to disappear. She gave him a new face, body, and name: Hawk. He completed his indoctrination and donned the mask of his other life. And he excelled. After years of isolation that was both self-inflicted and public retribution, Sasuke grasped every opportunity he could. His efforts bore fruit again and he rose through the ranks quickly enough. He was no longer burdened by the shame of either of his names.

As Sasuke he sought to mend a handful of burned bridges. He sought out Sakura in her post at the hospital. He waited uncertainly in her office for her return. When she did, thankfully for her break, she didn't react immediately to seeing him. Her green eyes glittered with recognition and she waited to process her unexpected guest. She absorbed his exterior changes and looked for something familiar. She found it in his voice when he said her name, it was reminiscent of the way he spoke it the night he left the village. It was burdened and finally released. She didn't return to work that day. They sat and spoke at length for hours about this, that, and everything else under the sun. It felt good to talk to another person without a mask. It felt good to talk with her. They would have many more talks in the future.

He was surprised when it was Kakashi reaching out to him. The world-weary jonin met him outside of his home just as he returned. Sasuke silently asked him what he was doing. Kakashi responded why asking for his arm. He took it and pulled up Sasuke's sleeve to look at the ANBU tattoo on his arm. Kakashi nodded and was satisfied. He pulled up his own sleeve to reveal a matching mark in the same spot, it was faded from time. Sasuke resisted flinching as Kakashi put a comforting hand on his shoulder and nodded as if telling the younger man he understood. He knew how it felt when one wanted to disappear.

Those two remained the only bonds he properly mended. Bonds in a team were strong and could weather the harshest of storms, but even they would never be the same, like broken bones knitting together in new complex structures. Those untouched by close camaraderie were forever damaged. He would come to have many acquaintances but only two real friends. It was enough for Sasuke and he threw himself into his work. In four years he was a captain leading squads of his own. He'd have never succeeded if not for Kakashi's experienced advice and Sakura's patient counseling. With them he found a will, not of fire but cooler and all his own, to succeed.

Today his charge was to protect the man who was the boy he thought forever lost. He had his men hold their line against the screams and the fires and the rains. They held and waited even as the clouds brought an unnatural darkness over the village that only their torches and fires could puncture as the raindrops came with the force of a waterfall. And as the red god-ray singled them for assault and devastation Sasuke ordered his men to hold. ANBU did not break. They were the dam against the flood. Under his command they would be unbendable.

His forces intermingled with the crowd of Naruto's believers as they united against the common foe. The believers were mostly civilians even before the active duty ninja were called to join the resistance, and most of them were young. They were the impressionable children who heard the stories of the self-proclaimed Sith Lord and acted as if Naruto's mystery was transcendence and his assurances were the answers to their personal misgivings about the world. The forces of Rain's god lingered at the edge of the block before the open street that was their no-man's-land. They remained massed behind their disorganized line waiting for something. A sign? Or would their god be arriving to lead them?

Hiashi joined him and whispered, "Why aren't they moving? Do they know?"

About the traps they'd hastily established once the assault began? Maybe. But they'd wait regardless. The Hokage would be sending reinforcements. Or was this attack greater than he thought? He couldn't see how big the Rain's army was. All he knew were the streets and district of his charge. They would remain under his control at all costs.

"We hold for my command," Sasuke replied. The Hyuga lord nodded and retreated while deferring to Sasuke's command outside his walls. Sasuke stood alone before the enemy host with his own, half-mob and half-ANBU at his back.

Sasuke idly wondered if Itachi was somewhere in the village. Perhaps this would be their fated day. Sasuke knew he would make for his brother in a fury the moment he caught the hubris of his eyes. This time his attack would be perfectly precise and controlled. Until then he did his duty. But he knew older, core instincts would compel him to act when that time came.

Someone stepped through the crowd. It was some kind of priest with bloodied robes. He raised his leather flail which dripped with fresh blood and announced, "Heathens of the smoldering embers of Leaf! God has chosen this land as the site of his final revelation! Submit before The Lord and join us in paradise through agony!"

Sasuke made no response, but someone behind him did. "The Force spits on your puny god!" The mob roared. Sasuke cursed, the believers couldn't be contained on either side.

The priest nodded expectantly and sadly, "Then may Pain purify your defiled souls."

Sasuke's hand resisted twitching the signal. He saw the enemy forces tensing with unfamiliar vigor, a passion for the final war. Sasuke steeled himself to ice to suffocate their fire.

The Hyuga gate slammed open. Sasuke turned to see, stopping halfway as someone appeared next to him in a blur.

Naruto. He stared beyond the lingering host with something primal boiling in his eyes.

Sasuke's shock was hidden by his cloak and mask, but Hiashi's was plain. Hiashi hissed, "What are you doing here!?" His voice was nearly swallowed by the cheers of Naruto's followers. Their prophet faced their enemy without fear. Their force was on their side, he knew they were thinking. Sasuke bitterly remembered the abyss that could not swallow him and the slaughter of the Akatsuki vanguard and wondered if it was.

The priest across the battlefield wore an almost friendly smile and asked, his voice dubious yet hopeful, "Have you come to submit before God, my young friend?"

Naruto said nothing. He was still as an eternal mountain. The air was heavy.

Sasuke sneered, "Lord Hyuga, get him inside immediately." He couldn't have the prize in the middle of the field!

Hiashi nodded and reached to touch Naruto's shoulder, "Come, Hinata will be wai-"

His hand snapped high as if to politely ask a question. Hiashi's hand whipped to his side and went still. Hiashi stared at his arm as if it had betrayed him.

The priest continued, "If you do not, I'm afraid your end will be an unholy agony without purification and God will never grant you his forgiveness beyond."

Naruto's hand shifted towards the priest and Sasuke half-expected the man to explode. He did not. Instead Naruto swept his pointed finger across the field. The fires died like a coward shrinks at an inquisition and the darkness returned to the fields. Naruto swept his digit across the enemy field, then continued to his allies. Naruto killed the light and the hungry darkness engulfed them in its uncomfortable emptiness.

Sasuke cursed, he couldn't see a thing. He activated his sharingan but still saw nothing. This was darker than a moonless, starless night sky. Sasuke turned to where Naruto was and realized it must be him. Everything unnatural returned to him!

He waited for the single red blade to appear to signal their war. Naruto would charge and he'd have no choice but to try and keep him safe. They could still hear and his men would respond to his command even if it meant blindly running into the waiting enemy forces.

The blade never came. The darkness remained but were punctuated by a colossus of screams. The painful cries merged into one deafening roar like a stadium.

Sasuke screamed, "Torches! Get some light back here!"

The lights came out one at a time. Someone handed Sasuke a torch and he lit it with a fire jutsu, the flame was subdued as if the darkness were fighting its intrusion. He could see only a few meters in every direction. It would have to do. He charged into the enemy lines as the screams became distant, rolling away like a wave after crashing on shore.

He stopped when he saw the body of a Rain shinobi in hear early twenties. Her eyes were frozen in the height of their horror. Sasuke had seen many cadavers in his life and had created his fair share. Most were quick and impersonal. A torn jugular or a kunai through an unsuspecting heart; the signs of a death in the line of duty with no malicious intent outside of what the mission demanded. Anything more required time and attention of the attacker. To rip and to tear were passionate acts for passionate kills of rage and hate. This woman was the latter. Her body suffered a hundred deep wounds that pulled at her insides until they leaked through the seams. He'd only seen bodies in this state in torture rooms, or in homes after a domestic dispute. Never on the battlefield.

He was still thinking when his men arrived with torches of their own. Their combined light pushed the darkness back further and revealed her bounty. Sasuke heard more screams, this time from his own forces. He looked up and paled in horror.

Hundreds of bodies as passionately killed as the woman littered the city streets. Their blood flowed like rivers released from the broken dams of their devastated corpses. Only their faces were intact and all were trapped in that ultimate terror as if they froze at the height of their fear. The same expression scarred every face.

This was Naruto's message, Sasuke thought. A masterpiece of horror and superiority over mankind. He was enraptured for several moments before he remembered to command his forces to pursue Naruto and protect him from Rain. But in those moments he could only marvel at the possibilities.

Naruto...no, Darth Rathmael had discovered a strength that transcended his human limits and gave him the power break any obstacle that impeded his goals. And he found it because he had stayed in the lair of the snake. Sasuke glared behind his mask as a forgotten envy resurfaced. Those hard-won bonds were meaningless in the burning reemergence of his desire he'd pushed aside for happiness. But what had that hint of joy brought him? Itachi was no less dead and all he could do was linger! Why couldn't the rescue have been reversed? Why couldn't he have stayed and discovered this power? It should have been his!

 _He_ _wanted it!_

 **~II~**

Inside his shell of sand the Kazekage planned his next move. A gathering of Rain squads tested his defenses. They were no more dangerous than flies bashing a light bulb. But Gaara had to plan his moves carefully. The heavy rain was coated in a potent chakra and his sand had been soaked through the invasion. It was heavier with the weight and sluggish as the rain acted as a resistor deafening his chakra control. Even his body felt heavier under his moistened sand armor. But immobile sand was easy to maintain. He needed to save his chakra for his counterattack where he needed absolute precision.

Gaara closed his eyes and waited. He was a patient man and would find his opportunity. His sand eye floated high above him and showed his opponents at a comfortable distance. He'd wait until they were brazen enough to try a close-up assault to strike. He'd pulled this host away from the main body converging around Naruto. He'd done his part and now it was up to Konoha to deal with the main body.

He counted his breaths inside his coffin and thought of his siblings. Were Temari and Kankuro alright? They never had the chance to rendezvous in the disaster. Each was doubtlessly capable, but in war the luckiest shuriken could end even the most experienced shinobi. He selfishly was thankful that the rest of Sand was still in transit. He proudly fought beside Konoha in their time of need, but those men and women were his charges. Sand and Leaf were like neighboring families, and if he had to see misfortune fall on one house he was relieved to find it wouldn't be his own.

The Rain ninja were closing in. He tensed like a python preparing to strike. And then the men began to fly. They raced into his hovering eye as if suddenly magnetized. They fell into each other around his sand eye as Gaara desperately tried to understand the phenomenon. His vision was darkened by the bodies and suddenly lit by a flash of lightning.

The ocular nerve severed and Gaara was senseless. A very human chill gripped his spine as he imagined it had his many victims in his lethal youth. That fear lingered in the very air he breathed, he couldn't help but take more in by the second. He comforted himself by analyzing the attack. There were only two sides in this battle, so whoever attacked his enemy had to be on his.

He cautiously lowered his sand shield against his instincts. The sand peeled away like layers of an onion and reformed into his gourd. Outside Rathmael stood alone with him on the damp rooftop amid the Rain casualties. Their bodies still twitched and the air smelled of cooked meat, hair and fiber. Deidara's headband glittered in the lingering firelight of the enemy's scattered torches. Rathmael's trophy. The way he wore it reminded Gaara of Grass ninja who wore the bones of their slain enemies into battle. His people called them rattlers for the sound they made.

"What are you doing here alone?" Gaara asked. Rathmael didn't say anything. The Sith stepped closer.

Gaara felt his knees tremble, he ignored it. He spoke clearly, "Come with me, I'm taking you behind our lines."

Rathmael raised his hand towards Gaara. He caught the ice in Rathmael's eyes.

"Rathmael-" Gaara froze as his legs buckled again, and not from fear. He was getting heavier. His mother's sand was pressing him down as if someone turned up the gravity.

He grit himself and snapped to Rathmael, then to the hand pointed his way. "What are you-" He gasped and fell to his knees. His arms wobbled to support him as it felt like a giant had settled on his back. Then another, and the weight continued to build until he collapsed completely to the roof tiles. They were shattering.

Rathmael said wistfully, "You rejected my offer."

"Stop!" He cried as the sand armor began to lose its shape.

"I understand. There is another."

Rathmael turned away as the pressure cracked Gaara's ribs. He felt each of his bones cracking, their fragments puncturing organs and irreparable systems. Gaara's screams were stifled by his own sand armor that was his casket.

 **~III~**

It took a ninja to lead The Village Hidden in the Leaves. No civilian could execute the charges of the chief decision-maker. They existed for war and a Kage could not lead their people to war behind a desk. They took charge in the office and in the field. It took an impossible breed of person to lead every aspect of a warrior village. None existed, in fact. There were only a handful of people who could be molded by the office into the leaders Konoha needed.

Tsunade had changed in her fifteen years under the Hokage cowl. She arrived used to leading her small band consisting of herself, her lover's niece and a pig. She'd grown into a leader of thousands of the world's finest. She executed the Hokage's duties wonderfully today as she led the resistance penetrating through Rain's lines.

Her fists were bruised and bloody and still swinging. She shattered bones and even blades with her incredible strength. Tsunade had always preferred a bare brawl over a kunai or jutsu. She more than anyone knew how incredibly complex the human body was. It evolved through millions of years of trial-and-error into the ultimate weapon. Tools were helpful, but limited and situational. She would always have her fists.

Her jaw clocked an older Rain ninja and he toppled into a trio of his comrades, one of her jonin finished them with a fire jutsu. She pressed deeper against their line with her legion. She had heard the stories of how the other jinchuriki were captured. Akatsuki cornered them when they were alone and unaware. She imagines no other village has sacrificed so much for the sake of their human sacrifice.

The earth yawned before her. She leaped high and struck the earth, shattering it and knocking the surrounding Rain ninja off balance. Her own forces were quick to attack while they were flat-footed.

She paused to breathe as her forces surrounded her. The Hyuga compound was still several blocks away. They'd have to break through this rear guard and smash the main body.

The air was a cacophony of chaos as the air erupted with screams and scorching buildings. Through the haze hundreds of Rain shinobi were charging in their direction.

"New hostiles! Reform the line!" Tsunade commanded.

They obeyed and readied for the enemy. Tsunade observed they kept looking over their shoulders. They panted in fear as if chased by a pack of hungry tigers. And instead of pressing into their lines to break them, they tried to go around.

"A flanking maneuver?" One of her jonin, Asuma, asked.

It wasn't, they were fleeing. And Tsunade saw why.

Rathmael emerged through the rubble with his hand palm up to the heavens. A trio of massive shadows floated above him. Those belonged to the broken remains of a building that hovered unchecked. He thrust his arm and they flew into the earth. They smashed and shattered, their remains splintering the retreating forces.

The rear guard joined with their retreating brethren in a melee. Some pressed into Tsunade's host in an attempt to break through, others fled down the empty street towards the gates. Rathmael followed the latter. Tsunade ordered half her host to maintain the line and the other to follow her in pursuit. What the hell was the prize doing in the middle of the field? Where was his guard? Where was Uchiha?

Rathmael flung something at the retreating shinobi, Tsunade mistook it for a kunai. Then as it reached the enemy a red beam lit up the night and spun with the fury of a fuma shuriken. It tore through the enemy host like fire clears a forest. Heads, limbs and even entire torsos were bisected as the hilt of kusanagi carried it's death beam in an arc through the unfortunate host, circling them like a lasso as if to trap them in a noose. The spiraling blade returned to the hand of its master and he launched himself into his melee.

Her fist connected into a giant Rain ninja's jaw. It exploded and carried him into the air to crush two more behind him. She and her Leaf ninja charged through the broken line and into the open field. A hundred rain ninja surrounded Rathmael a hundred meters away. It was exactly where he wanted to be.

There was no cage, not a physical one, but every one of them was trapped. Rathmael's death blade twirled weightlessly melting through steel and flesh as easily as it severed air. His right hand guided the sword as a painter with a brush in a mad frenzy as he moved with the speed of the wind, winding between the mortals in a bloodless ballad.

But it was his left hand they feared as it wielded the force, and though they did not believe they felt its fury. His hand pointed and men would explode. His fingers arced with lightning and curled to crush. It reached for those trying to flee and dragged them into his masterpiece of mayhem.

Tsunade and her ninja crossed only half the distance before the last man fell. Rathmael stood alone in the sea of corpses, of failed mortals bowing to something greater. The air remained heavy and full of rage, Rathmael's hate radiated like heat in the war. It had not yet subsided.

A new host of Rain ninja in red cloaks leaped down into Elegance Plaza, Konoha's center of artisans and artistic talent. They raced to Rathmael undaunted by his slaughter. The Sith turned to meet them and dragged his blade over the back of a woman as he walked. The woman who had been playing dead screamed.

Tsunade thought she might catch Rathmael before the enemy host, but Rathmael moved with speed to rival his father into his prey. A man of the vanguard raised a mace to meet Rathmael's blade. Tsunade waited for Kusanagi to pass through. It did not. It sparked against the brown-colored metal and halted. If Rathmael was shocked Tsunade could not see it.

"Ninja art: dance of a hundred puppets!"

The red-cloaked bodies leaped and fell on Rathmael like a cresting wave over a boulder. They trapped him in a whirlwind of steel his magnificent blade could not break. Tsunade saw his blade flash between the circling puppets in a desperate gambit to break through. Puppets exploded one after another, or failed to block the blade and were bisected. But the user was untouched and he was learning. The swarm grew smarter and more deadly until one blade finally drew blood.

Naruto flew from the whirlpool of puppets in an arc, a thin stream of blood following his trail from his face. He landed within Tsunade's host and she ordered her forces to converge on him.

The puppet master, a red-headed man wearing a Suna headband and a black cloak with red clouds, emerged from his creations and smiled, "That took less than expected."

Tsunade heard more Konoha shinobi reinforcing her unit. Hawk stepped beside her and said, "We're here. He-"

"Later," she said. She could assume enough.

Figures began appearing on the rooftops of the buildings in Elegance Plaza. Cloaks identical to the puppeteer's billowed in the chaotic breeze. Akatsuki had assembled. Pain was centered behind the puppet master Tsunade recognized as Sasori of the Red Sand.

Pain declared, "Enough, it is useless to resist. Submit and I will grant you My final atonement."

Tsunade cracked her knuckles. "No." There was nothing more to say.

The crowd behind her split and Rathmael pressed through. He didn't use the force, the phantom of his rage was enough to give even her hardiest pause at stopping him.

Pain raised his hands as if creating a wall, "Then hear the will of God: your eternal misery shall be My judgment-"

"There are no gods. **Only** **dead men!** "

Rathmael passed Tsunade and thrust his palm.

The air roared and exploded in a shockwave, the earth opened its maw and unleashed its devastation on the world. The ground split, fragmented and launched towards the plaza like a hurricane. Sasori faced the brunt of the blast and was obliterated before his senses could realize their destruction. The streets, the structures and the loathsome people playing god and his angels were consumed by the rocketing earth and air.

The deathly pulse passed and Rathmael allowed the world to subside. Buildings crumbled in the distance, heard but obscured by dust so as to only hint at the extent of the calamity. Konoha's plaza of creation and beauty lay in rubble, Tsunade feared to see it. It was as if Rathmael made his rage manifest in his palm and unleashed it in a focused stream to rampage across their world. The village could not remember this level of injury since the Nine-Tailed Fox itself. As she watched Rathmael she caught a familiar gleam in his eye, the righteous satisfaction of vengeance, and a disciplined hunger for more. The Fox was gone, Tsunade was sure of it. But now she wondered if a part of it, perhaps its malevolence and a sliver of its infinite rage, remained somewhere in his broken chakra.

Rathmael summoned his blade from the haze, it joyfully sprung to his master and hummed in his grip. It was joined by a small strip of metal, a scarred Suna headband that came to rest below Deidara's on Rathmael's sleeve. There was room for many more.

Rathmael pressed into the haze to collect them.

 **A/N**

Things have settled down enough to resume a regular writing schedule, thank The Force. Updates of both my stories should resume some level of regularity, and I'm genuinely excited to continue them.

For those of you that don't know, I'm in the US military and I've decided to remain so for the foreseeable future. My next station will be in a deployable status where I will be stationed on surface vessels for (hopefully) short stints. This is at least a year out, but it's a transition I expect to affect my output. I'll handle the shift as well as I can and continue writing.

This chapter is being posted around the 2017 holidays. Whatever your faith, or lack thereof may be, let's celebrate together and individually, comparatively and differently, merrily or unmerrily, if that happens to be your thing. And thank you everyone who continues to show their support for my hobby of storytelling. Your continued encouragement and helpful corrections and comments have continued to propel me to new levels of excellence.

P.S. To the anonymous reviewer who promised all their coins for this next update: I'm assuming all your coins is...none? If I'm wrong, then I'm happily waiting.

Published: December 22nd, 2017


	11. Cloud Break

**The Will of the Force**

 **Chapter 11**

 **Cloud Break**

 **~I~**

It was not the first time the Village Hidden in the Mist had been razed, not even the first time in his life. But he'd thought that his revolt would be the last. He could still smell the burning buildings, the streets littered with blood and bodies, ashes of the dead. At the time he said it had meaning. The tax to be paid on the purchase of a better home, one where fear was chosen only by the strong who faced it, where tyranny was the subject of history books and scholars. He would have died for the dream. Instead fate took his army, his village and his purpose. The tyrant remained and he fled carrying the smells, the sights, the screams. Paid for nothing. They marred his soul like a mold.

They weren't just in his head anymore, not as he pulled himself out of the rubble. He gripped Samehada's hilt and heaved it from beneath crumpled stone. The air was dust, every breath feeling like swallowing a scorching steam. The ground was rugged from the debris, almost like they were in the remnants of a failed society lost to time.

"Is anyone else alive?" he hollered into the haze.

"Over here, ya big fish!" A voice, young and brash, replied. A moment later he appeared as an apparition in the mist, his right arm hanging by a thread like a broken doll, though the man treated it like with the scorn a normal man would show a hangnail.

"Anyone else, Hidan?"

"The fuck should I know, when have I been the damn bloodhound? Go find Zetsu if you care."

"If I could, this wouldn't be a problem. Come on, we need to find the others."

"Fuck that, I want that blond bastard now!"

"Did you lose the rest of your brains with that attack? There's a psychic and half an army supporting him that way.

"Did you lose your balls back there? Or are you too pussy for a fight?"

"I'll fight any day, and I'm smart enough to recognize one from suicide."

"Coward! All I need is a little drop of blood, it's all over when I get it."

"If."

"Shut the fuck up!"

"Come and take it."

They turned and saw him through the mist, the very air parted like chamberlains before the daimyo. Darth Rathmael stared them down as a...he couldn't say, no animal had ever stared at his prey so hungrily, no human at his enemy with such hate.

He saw the headband below Deidara's and said, "He killed Sasori..." He noted the room on the sleeve, plenty of space for more.

"Good riddance!" Hidan shouted. Grinning, he genuflected to pray, "Lord Jashin, heir of the wicked heart, I dedicate this slaughter to you."

"Remember, we need him alive-"

"Don't interrupt!" he snapped, then gripped his necklace, the symbol of his salvation, "I offer you blood, flesh and soul, I offer you my life, my sadness, my joy. Grant me-"

Rathmael reached. Hidan's necklace snapped free and flew to his hand in a beeline. He snatched it, gave Hidan a moment to gasp, then dropped it to the ground. Then he stepped on it, grinding it into the dirt.

Hidan's grin went feral. His skin blackened like day turning to night as if the sun suddenly died, the while lines of death marring the darkness into a reaper. He screamed, "Infidel! I will bathe in your blood!"

"Your false god has no power here."

Hidan laughed, a raucous, bellowing laugh that echoed his closeness to insanity. "I'll make a believer of you!" He raised his scythe and dashed as if his god were whipping his heels.

Kisame cursed and followed, knowing that Hidan's rage could be just as dangerous to the mission as Rathmael himself.

Rathmael caught Hidan's scythe with his blade, the stratite coating managing to bear the glimmering heat. Kisame circled and lashed at his side to graze his ribcage, Rathmael forced his and Hidan's scythe down to block.

Kisame knew Hidan fought in two styles, the first was carefree and leisurely as grocery shopping, the second was fueled with zealotry and rage. The latter was wild and large, impossibly predictable and lacking even the finesse as a cripple attempting a dance. Kisame thought he could use this by allowing Rathmael to focus on countering the brute while he placed perfect, precise strikes.

Hidan was an imbecile, and a liability in anywhere but battle, and in this he soared as a bull given wings: devoid of grace, but trampling anything luckless enough to be in its path. Together they were two of the finest warriors of the world, even a Kage facing the two would hesitate to expect victory. But Rathmael handled them with the ease of a bird soaring in a breeze. That wicked blade danced between them, clashing, redirecting as if brushing off flies.

Kisame's blade was deflected up, he carried it, carving a circle in the air, into and through the earth and debris. It rose like a breaching shark beneath Rathmael, but the man glided forward, his blade catching Kisame's and guiding it to Hidan's dangling arm. Samehada shaved the last of the tendons and it dropped uselessly, but Hidan didn't care. His god whispered his promises into the savant's devoted ear and infused a righteous need for an offering of Sith blood.

The scythe arced through the air, Rathmael caught it between the higher blades, yanked Hidan forward, and thrust his palm. Hidan was blown away without contact as if the air pressure from the movement alone held the power of a bomb.

Kisame slammed Samehada as if to crush Rathmael, who caught it easily with his blade. Kisame pressed and trusted his strength, but Samehada was resisting, it writhed moltenly as it rested against the burning energy. Rathmael looked almost amused, "You're unprepared, old man."

Kisame's response died in his throat when he saw it. Hidan's scythe raised high for the final blow. Hidan gleaned silently in victory and brought they scythe down, the tip of the farthest blade descending to bite into Rathmael's skull. The light caught it, and in the flash Kisame saw everything ending, all hope of the final peace bloodied and lost with the death of the jinchuriki.

He pushed Rathmael aside and caught Hidan's scythe. He screamed, "What are you doing!?"

Hidan went livid, "I had him! I had him you bastard!"

Then next strike was aimed at him. Kisame ducked and rolled away, "Have you lost your mind!?"

"Die, heathen! I'll kill both of your sorry asses!" Hidan's vision was focused down a single track, and when Kisame robbed him of his sacrifice he earned all of his ire. He wouldn't recall Rathmael if he tried.

Hidan readied his attack. Kisame saw Rathmael in the corner of his eye, the Sith watching his puppets dance. He readied himself as Hidan charged with all the fury of Jashin, who readied his blade and swung, but his arm did not follow. Hidan stopped and examined it, black flame had severed the limb in an instant.

"Hidan, you fool," Itachi said as he dashed through the fog. A screaming blur pursued him carrying a cackling bolt of thunder in his palm. Itachi evaded his younger brother, captured his arm and twisted until the shoulder joint popped out of its socket, all in the blink of an eye.

Kisame glanced from Itachi's family squabble back to Rathmael, who was watching with interest as a series of vines crawled up his legs, cementing him in place. He was so captivated by the fauna that he ignored Hidan leaping at him, mouth opened to the point of detaching. His teeth sank deep into Rathmael's exposed neck and drank those precious first drops of blood. Rathmael grunted and kicked him away, Hidan rolled on the rubble to a stop.

Rathmael turned to the vines and reached out with his hands, clenching his fingers as if to daintily as if to hold a coin purse. Zetsu erupted form the ground like a time-lapse of a budding flower, his mouth open in shock at his sudden excavation. Rathmael's fingers twitched and the black flames swallowing Hidan's severed arm rushed to Zetsu, expanding and settling over his body like a blanket.

Zetsu's cries were the wails of every plant meeting a violent end. He batted desperately at the flames, to no avail. If Itachi were not fending for his life against his raging brother, perhaps he could silence the flames. But Kisame doubted if anything could interrupt Rathmael's chosen method of execution. The flames devoured the man long after the screams were muted and the struggling ended, and from the smoldering a single strip of metal emerged, hovering and settling on Rathmael's sleeve.

A cackling cut through the stillness. Hidan howled with delight that he was sure was reward for his eternal loyalty to his fantasy. "I've never tasted such life! It's so rich, like eating diamonds!" He stepped back, closer to a shattered wall riddled with protruding rebar, broken at the ends like spears. "All-knowing Jashin, I give you this marvelous soul! A gift from your unworthy disciple!"

"No!" Kisame cried. Too late. Hidan tipped backwards with fiery serenity in his heart right before it was speared. The rebar skewed its willing victim through both ends.

Kisame's soul was drowning as every one of his second wave of hopes and dreams died in an instant. Or it should have. What happened instead should have been relief, but it was received with terror. Rathmael watched Hidan with cold amusement. Hidan's journey into the cult of Jashin was a long one, years of rituals and ceremony as he fell deeper into devotion. His journey beyond was shorter and just as profound.

He grinned triumphantly at his victim as if he'd just painted his masterpiece. He waited for the bloodstains to appear, waited for the sharp realization on Rathmael's face. He was confused when they never came. He licked his lips for lingering blood while Rathmael continued to gaze expectantly. When his body began failing is confusion only deepened, as if he was sure the flaw must be in his understanding and not his reality. But his illusion faded when he began struggling to breathe. Panic, his first in years, erupted in his throat with cries for Jashin's mercy and forgiveness if he had sinned. He begged and he pleaded, promising everything he'd already given for his god's malevolent love. But Rathmael stole his gaze a final time, and in it Hidan discovered the truth, the falsity of his power and his god, and the pointlessness of his brief existence. Those loveless eyes stole everything he had left. He wept in his despair, the wet remains of his life streaming down his face. And before he could accept his delusions, to see himself and his reality in one final moment of acceptance, they stopped.

His headband detached, hovered in the air, and came to rest below Zetsu's.

Sasuke cried as Itachi stomped his prone, defeated form. Rathmael stared at the cause and looked Itachi in the eye, and Kisame was exultant when he realized what a mistake that was.

"Tsukuyomi."

Rathmael froze, stiffening as if someone connected him to a power line. Kisame confirmed his gaze was locked on Itachi's bleeding mangekyo and wanted to shout their victory. It was over! Itachi had locked him in his dimension, the place of his absolute control! There was barely a man alive who could survive the infinity world's torment, and even those that could would be crippled by the mental devastation!

"Do you like what you see?" Rathmael asked.

Itachi's shriek penetrated like a needle raping his ears. He covered his eyes, no, he _clawed_ at them, as if trying to destroy the very image they had born witness to! He violently raked as if he could scrub himself clean of the torment! Itachi had looked into Rathmael's core to pull him into his world, and what he found...what he found was beyond description, a horror so great that it broke the most stable mind Kisame had known in an instant. It was as if Itachi had looked into the endless void between realities and found the truth of existence, and in doing so accepted the unbearable burden of knowledge, and now he couldn't forget!

"IT WAS- I WAS IN THE! I WAS THE! INTO THE-THEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA MAKE IT STOP!"

Itachi cried to the merciless heavens, his beautiful sharingan eyes scraped and torn, bleeding in a way Kisame had never seen before, and he just kept clawing them! He ran, unable to see but able to sense the presence of the horror. He would flee as far as he could from what he saw, to the ends of the earth if he could reach it!

His headband slipped from his head. The metal popped away and sailed through the air to rest with the others.

Sasuke barely registered the events as they happened. Perhaps he thought it was a dream, or a nightmare. He considered Itachi's misery and death his prerogative. To see it handled so easily, after he'd failed like the child he'd been years ago, as if destiny had decided his limits, it filled him with a desperate jealousy. For a moment he forgot all about his vengeance and was absorbed by the sight of the man who so thoroughly undermined his very existence. He would have given his soul to stand in his place. Then he remembered Itachi and picked himself up much to quickly for his condition. He hobbled after his raving brother, too slowly to catch him but unable to accept it.

Rathmael turned as if he remembered he was almost out of targets. Those eyes that were so unknowable were still far and distant, but he knew their meaning now. He knew they offered no pity, no remorse. Rathmael would have his satisfaction, for he was the strongest. Kisame has fought men, has fought monsters, and both could be defeated. But man was never meant to beat a god.

Kisame could have run. He could have cried in mock insanity and followed Itachi while praying the quick escape of his headband would be his only punishment. Perhaps that was what Rathmael wanted, submission or destruction, whatever made him absolute. But Kisame would not run. He would stand here until his legs gave out, or the earth beneath them crumbled and collapsed, he would stand until Rathmael stole the air from his lungs. He would stay here well and with life until that smug bastard felt like walking over here and taking it from him!

He had faced bullies before. He faced them and lost in Mist. He had run that time, thinking he could regroup and strike again. But the time never came. Days became weeks became months became years. They'd become lifetimes soon...the tyrant won then. Kisame would fight this one with his last breath and either win or die, but he would accept no more retreat. Pain had given him a dream again, something to stand for. He stood, the line in the sand, the great shield for the dream of global peace!

He readied his sword, "We're not finished yet!"

Rathmael said nothing, but approached. His footsteps echoed like thunder across the ruins. Kisame grinned as he imagined his last stand and felt no remorse. He readied Samehada, who hummed in hunger.

Rathmael reached out and tore her from him. Samehada sailed through the air, end pointed to the Sith Lord and opening her mouth as if she could swallow him whole. Kisame never felt such pride in his blade, she shared his dream with a fervor as if she'd adopted it wholesale from him. Then Rathmael thrust his blade down Samehada's throat.

Her scream was like metal slashing rock. She wiggled herself, convulsing as Rathmael pushed his energy blade deeper inside her. Her scales began to shimmer, burning from the heat that threatened to remake her. With the last of her energy, she whipped herself off, the blade melting through the tip of her. She writhed as she crawled away, for it was all the legendary tool could bring herself to do, her cries carrying her into the fog.

"Samehada!" He cried, but he knew she would never return. The spark of life they'd granted her in mist had never known agony, not until Rathmael forced it upon her. Now she would crawl to the darkest depths of the sea to escape the horror of violation, to be forgotten until the ends of the world. His hands trembled and he remembered feeling her in his hands, safe and comforting, never to be again.

And he hated him. He stared down the man who transcended humankind and he _hated_ him! His was not merely a resistance to an idea, his very nature was cruelty and death without purpose! His was every crime ever committed in war! And now he knew he would never be satisfied with mere superiority. He would trample them all until he crushed their every accomplishment, until everything they stood for was ashes! Kisame rose against the tyrant; he was more than defiant, he was righteous!

He reached out to the water in the ground, in the broken pipes, in the air, he called them to his command. He readied his handseals and called, "Water shark ju-!"

His entire body went heavy, as if the sky was falling over him. He crumpled to his hands and knees and fought for whatever air his lungs had the strength to draw. He didn't hear the footsteps against the sound of his labored breathing, he only saw them when they stopped before his doubled-over form.

He almost wanted to surrender to gravity and fall, smashing his face into those toes if only to hear the sadist whimper, but he resisted, unwilling to submit to this power. With the last of his strength he lifted himself, straightening his back against the unyielding pressure, and looked Rathmael in the eye in his final defiance. And there he saw something, a thin cut across his cheek, Sasori's parting gift, and then to his bleeding neck, one from Hidan. Tiny signs of his mortality, that he was human, and all humans could be beaten. He'd failed, he knew that too well now, but Pain can do it. He will. So he imagined that last battle where Pain summoned the power of the infinity against the devil and he smiled. His battle was over, but the war for peace would go on. Peace was still in safe hands.

He grinned with certainty, and Rathmael looked annoyed as if discovering the roach beneath his foot was still twitching. He raised his blade high to the heavens and brought it down on Kisame like an angel of mercy. The heat would have been a warm relief of a lifetime of war, misery and death. But Rathmael stole even that with a glance, one so full of promise it tinted Kisame's contentedness with a hint of doubt, both for Pain's absolution and in Rathmael's vulnerability, his dream fading into the mist, and it was with doubt that he left this world .

 **~II~**

The maws of hell parted and the God Realm emerged free of all worldly blemishes. Konon was the first thing he saw, the left side of her face and robes were torn from the explosion, "Are you alright?" she asked.

He wondered if she was speaking to him, or to the memory she loved, as if it mattered that this form be preserved. "As I am always. I see you two are still standing."

Kakuzu grumbled and gestured his hand to his patchwork arm poking through a hole in his robe, "Took some work. What about the jinchuriki? We haven't seen the others, have they handled it?"

"They tried and failed."

"So they're dead? Pathetic."

"All but one, and I sense he will never be the same again."

"Let's hurry and get this over with. I'm going to take a long vacation after this job is done."

"No."

"No to getting this over with, or the vacation?"

"You will stay with me. Konan, I need you to return to the staging outpost."

Konan blinked, but remained otherwise stoic, "I'm not leaving, not now."

Pain motioned her close and spoke softly, "Look after my body, if I fail here I want us to retreat before he discovers our secret. I need you, Konan."

He saw the resistance in her, would she refuse to abandon this form that was so easily replaced? Could she not see how her sentiment could folly her judgment? But she relented and said, "Kakuzu, look after Pain."

"Whatever."

"Go," Pain said. Konan grew paper wings and vanished into the skies. He would see her again soon.

He turned to Kakuzu as he assembled his other Paths behind him, "He is coming."

"Good." Threads began loosening in Kakuzu's body.

"Don't hesitate, we strike as soon as he appears." He knew Kakuzu would like the idea, getting the job over with quickly and getting paid. He was a wonderfully predictable pawn.

Something glistened behind the fog, light reflecting off of six forehead protectors as they swayed further from the veil. Kakuzu's back began to shift, then he charged like a cheetah across the plains.

Rathmael reached and pulled.

Kakuzu's five hearts burst mid-pump from his chest and landed unceremoniously among the debris, with Kakuzu tumbling shortly after. He used the last of his strength to grasp his chest in disbelief, then fell silent. His headband ripped away and settled on Rathmael's heavy sleeve.

Wonderful, Pain thought. So he needs gestures to direct his power. He was so pleased to see it again up close.

"Have you come to submit before My will?"

Rathmael seemed annoyed at the request. He reached his hand and tried to crush him. Pain felt the pressure and immediately commanded gravity to expand, counteracting and protecting him from Rathmael's unholy grip.

Rathmael paused, a moment of confusion confirming his limits in mortality, but he quickly buried it with understanding, "I see, so this is how you convinced your masses of divinity."

"There was never a need, I merely brought them the truth."

This amused Rathmael, "So you've even fooled yourself into thinking you're a god."

"You will find faith before I am done with you."

"Hidan thought much the same. But look around us. My mere presence has convinced many of these imbeciles I'm a god myself, people are so easy to fool when they want to believe. It is their nature. They latch onto strength and believe it can transcend the horrors we left in the wilds, but only a few try to understand it. Do you understand your strength, or are you too blinded by faith to see reality?"

"These eyes miss nothing, I see all there is to be seen, I am the sole proprietor of grace through suffering on this miserable world. And with you, my reach will be complete."

"I eluded you for fifteen years, so you are not omnipresent. You cannot exercise your will without the beasts, so you are not omnipotent. And since you are neither, you are not a god."

Pain raised his hand, his other paths readying for war behind him, "Come, test me. You will believe in God before the end."

Rathmael ignited his unholy blade. It glowed malevolently through the fog, "In the end, you will die a man."

 **Published: September 14th, 2018**


	12. The War In Heavem

**The Will of the Force**

 **Chapter 12**

 **The War In Heaven**

 **~I~**

"Anything new to report?"

Kiba said, "It's impossible, Lady Hokage! We've sent multiple recon teams in and everyone's either been running in circles or haven't come back!"

"Are you telling me my shinobi can't navigate their own village!?"

"All that fog in the air? That's from the buildings! The same ones covering the streets! It's all ruins in there, even the Third wouldn't recognize it!"

Neji said, "And there's more, my eyes can only see so far. Something is blocking my sight."

Jiraiya hummed, "Debris normally isn't an issue for the byakugan."

"No. But if Pain had the Rinnegan, he might be able to block our vision."

"He'd have done so already if he could. I don't think it's him."

Tsunade asked, "You think this is Rathmael's doing?"

"This fog can't be natural. Our scouts are better than this, if they're all failing it can't be because of the hazard."

"Rathmael is intentionally clouding the minds of my entire scouting division? That's impossible."

"Isn't all of this?"

Tsunade wanted to disagree, but if she argued against Jiraiya she argued against Rathmael's entire file and every expert who drafted a report. Impossible things had been a daily occurrence for some time, what was one more?

She gazed into the impenetrable fog and mused, "So he plans to fight all of Akatsuki alone."

Kiba said, "That's suicide."

"Not while the fog is still up."

Something shifted in the haze and the fog suddenly parted like a curtain. Sasuke emerged, his face beaten like a tenderized steak and with the eyes of a madman.

"Where is he!?" he screeched, "Where is Itachi!?"

Sakura stepped forward from the ranks, "Sasuke? What were you doing?"

"I had him! I was this close, he was mine! But that Rathmael, he took it from me! It's his fault he got away!"

Sakura leaned closer, "You saw Naruto? Where is-"

Sasuke slapped her hand away with such a crack it echoed through the field. She recoiled in horror at the look, the purest disdain for her existence. "It's because of you. You did this to me! I would be stronger if not for you!"

He raised a fist, whether he would have swung would never be known, because Tsunade was behind him in an instant that would rival the Yellow Flash himself and grabbed it. He swung his vitriol to her without pause. She took it with ease and ordered, "Captain, report."

He hated her then, it was a hate so powerful it radiated into the very air as a wave proudly making itself felt, like the sun in a heat wave without end. "He killed them all, like it was nothing. But he let Itachi get away."

"All the Akatsuki are dead?"

"Not yet."

"How many?"

Sasuke shook her off and said, "What does it matter? He'll kill them all soon enough."

He wandered off then, as if to find a furnace to stoke the fires of his rage. Tsunade told Sakura, "Go, tend his wounds. He's still one of us."

Sakura nodded, but the woman had a fear in her eye. She'd seen this anger in him before, and knew it was fueled by envy towards the same person.

Jiraiya said to Tsunade, "He saw Rathmael, that can't be an accident."

"If you're right, he only saw what Rathmael wanted him to see."

"Why would he want that?"

Tsunade eyed Sasuke and resented his focus. Time had not eased his pain, it only sent it to hibernation, one which Rathmael so eagerly provoked. What did he want it for?

The ground began to shake, chunks of earth on the roads trembled in a terrible dance. Shinobi fought for their footing as someone called, "Earthquake!"

Tsunade said, "That's no earthquake, it's a drumbeat!"

Jiraiya paled, "A summoned beast."

The two sages readied their own blood sacrifices when suddenly the earth gave a massive rumble, then slowly vibrated into nothingness. Jiraiya looked to Tsunade, "What-"

Something shot through the fog like a stone flung by catapult. It carried it like a veil before tearing it off, revealing the severed head of a giant dog. It sailed through the sky and slammed into a high tower, cracking brick and shattering windows as it embedded itself in the side. A side of the dead dog's lifeless face looked down like a child peeking around a corner, its eye and mouth dripping blood.

Another great beast pierced the fog and soared into the heavens as a bird of prey circling its starving prey. A black dot shot out behind it trailing glowing crimson wrath. It flew at the beast as a kunai freed from the hand of a master, and as they met the red light arced along the creature's neck. It gave a cry, silent as a breeze in a barren plain for its voice had been carved out, and it fell into the forest beyond the walls.

Rathmael landed effortlessly on a nearby building, the ANBU team already present giving him a wide berth. Tsunade felt another rumbling behind them and rallied her shinobi to challenge it. But as she did she saw a pair of buildings break free of their foundations and hover into the sky as if the hands of the Gods descended from heaven to steal them into Their heavens. They rose higher and higher to the edge of the fog, and just as the ox beast broke free from the veil they smashed it like it were soft metal between anvil and hammer. The beast coughed our its life, and a man with flowing hair of the sunset leaped away just before he went with it.

There was the sound of a thousand fireworks launching into the air, Tsunade turned and saw an armada of rockets reaching their apogee and arcing onto the center of her forces. She would have ordered her forces to seek cover or ready defenses, but as Rathmael reached out his hand she knew it to be pointless. The rockets came apart as if they decided in joint committee to shed their combined forms into purer elements. Gears and empty shells crashed into the ground, bruising all who hadn't gotten out of the way. But the charges remained floating in the air, and Naruto's hand reached out to touch them.

The Animal realm summoned another great beast, a bull large enough to challenge buildings in the arena. It charged Tsunade's forces in an effort to reach their prize. Tsunade raised her hand to command her troops, but her senses failed her and Rathmael pushed her aside. He gathered the charges over himself in a sphere, then clenched his fist and ignited them all, the explosion caught in the grip of his power. He thrust his arm forward and unleashed the furious flame. They moved like a lava vein, devouring all in its hunger. It swallowed the bull whole, and the Animal realm with it. As the flames choked itself to death the remnants of the Animal realm fell, but was snatched by another of Pain's realms as the remaining six paths emerged from the veil and pursued their prey. Rathmael leaped across the roofs with the same speed he hunted the bird of prey. He soared over the Hokage mountain and into the forest, with Pain in hot pursuit.

Tsunade commanded, "I want ten ANBU squads to follow them! Keep Rathmael alive and bring him back-"

The fog withdrew as if taking a breath, and then it blew with the force of a hurricane. The dust of their destroyed village washed past what remained of its people. Tsunade covered her eyes and braced herself with chakra to the ground, and just as she began wondering if the storm would ever end, the wind subsided, having taken the fog with it.

A single man stood against the ruins holding a fan that belonged to legend. He stood as the avatar of the horde behind him, the swarm of believers that would see this village burn at the whim of their god.

Tsunade had only been a little girl when the leader of the Uchiha abandoned their grand experiment, but like her, his looks did not match his age. He still had the same face she pictured growing up whenever her elders told her a story about the monster who terrorized her clan, and would have used the demons themselves to destroy them. And she sensed a new power in him, one that could finally destroy what he called an abomination, and what she called home.

"Madara Uchiha."

Madara smiled and opened his arms in greeting, "Little Tsunade, it's good to be home."

 **~II~**

Pain sometimes wondered what it was like to lose. To see all your plans and hopes thrashed by contact with your betters as they pursued their superior goals. Pain had always been the latter, at least as long as he could remember. But for the sake of his subjects he tried to understand the misery of defeat. He imagined what it would be like to face some superior God and see his own desire overridden. And he couldn't. Even what appeared to be failures were merely setbacks and new opportunities. Failure was impossible, for he was God, and he would bring his heaven at last.

But he could taste it now with the death of the Animal realm, and Pain decided he didn't want to understand. He would capture the jinchuriki as planned, and victory is all he would ever know.

His prey soared through the forest as if on a rail. He grazed along a tall oak, and where his fingers touched fragments exploded out like a flurry of kunai at the Paths. God realm easily blew them away and kept pursuit. All eyes were tracking the target's movements, even the smallest twitch couldn't escape his providence. For he was God, and nothing could escape his sight.

The earth trembled as Naruto uprooted trees from their lifelong homes and hurled them at the paths. They rose and fell between the giant trunks, but Human realm was caught in the arm and Pain felt it shatter. It was a minor inconvenience, this body was easily replaced.

The forest cleared into a field and Pain brought Asura path into the sky. His wrist mount stretched and exposed a small point. A single beam appeared and traced Naruto's path, igniting tall grass and melting through stone. Naruto turned and caught the beam with his blade, it reflected like light in a prism and before Pain could stifle the beam Naruto swung his blade, arcing the beam into the realm of God. Pain used Preta realm to shield his most prized body at the cost of itself. Preta was a useless realm against one without chakra, but somehow his prey had now slain two of his realms, and Pain felt an unfamiliar chill somewhere far away.

Hell realm was working on Animal realm's corpse, in a few minutes he'd have his beasts again. Human realm had rushed their target while he deflected the beam and was closing in. He tried blasting it with a wall of force, which God realm negated, allowing Human realm to reach their prey. Naruto dodged a devastating punch and swung his blade at the passing body. Human realm hopped over it and reached for Naruto's face. His fingers graced his cheek just enough to begin draining his life force. Naruto grunted and fell to his knees as Human realm pressed his contact. That precious life energy shifted from one body to another. He would have taken just enough to leave him alive, but the flow suddenly reversed.

Naruto lashed out and grabbed Human realm's throat. Human realm used its great strength to struggle, but it was as if it were challenging a mountain to move. His skin grayed and crumpled like paper, shrinking into itself until nothing but hollowed husk remained. Naruto dropped him and looked to God realm, and pointed. Pain was ready for his next attack. At least he thought he was.

The sound of ignition sneered behind Hell realm as the blade ignited in his chest. God realm spun to watch Naruto carve the body into dozens of useless pieces. Pain spun to where Naruto had been standing and saw empty space. How could he have...had he been fooled by an illusion!? It wasn't possible! He had been there, right in front of his eyes, the all-seeing eyes of God! How could they have been deceived!?

So taken was Pain in shock that he failed to notice Naruto reach for Asura, his force twisting every joint and gear until he sprung apart like his rockets. And then they stood alone, the world all but irrelevant. Naruto raised his blade and challenged God's divinity a final time.

And it enraged him! How could he be so thoroughly humbled before this heathen trash!? His was the grace that would save this earth, and here was a man who challenged him, who spat on his holiness as if he were a common temple rat!? He would show him the power of his providence! For he was God, and his will, shall be done!

He roared and soared towards the man, Naruto, Rathmael! The Sith reached out and filled the air with unholy thunder, but Pain reached and touched the fine particles, dispersing them and redirecting them at their master. Rathmael was stunned but for a moment, it was all Pain needed. He grabbed Rathmael's collar and looked the man in the eye, he wouldn't blink until he saw the first sign of fear.

"I am the almighty! You-you are a mortal! A lowly mortal man!"

Then he rose into the sky, shooting through the clouds like an angel into his heavens! He rose higher and higher and higher, until the very air began to thin and the curve of the world was theirs to behold! Only when he crossed into the endless void did he stop. They floated in that unwelcoming sky as satellites. Pain could see them all, every tainted life so desperate for salvation. At long last he would provide it. He looked to this last pitiful sacrifice, his head rolled back and mouth open to catch the air that was no longer there. Pain jeered and weaved a web of air to his ears so that he might hear his last chance at revelation.

"Look around us. Do you see the great gods of the false scriptures? Do you see this precious force of yours? There is nothing behind the veil, only emptiness. I am the only God this world will know. I am its salvation! I am its providence! You and your pathetic 'force' cannot save them."

 _Save them?_

All his divine bluster died as Rathmael's jaw nearly unhinged in his silent laughter.

 _You think I want to save them?_

"How...it can't be."

 _You look down at them and you still think they can be saved? You need to look up. Then you will see just what kind of god you are!_

In his eyes there was hellfire, an endless flame that was ready to wash over Pain's domain and swallow the world in its wrath. He saw himself on a throne of purified ash gazing into his empty kingdom of heaven. And when he looked up he would see the dark lord sealing the gates to his paradise.

Pain howled his animalistic fear and threw Rathmael down to earth. He watched him tumble into the early layers of gas as the planet's gravity reclaimed him. He did not want him to live, he hoped the atmosphere tore him apart in a righteous pyre. He would suffer a setback, any setback, to ensure that this madman's vision was erased from possibility! But still his doubts lingered, and for the first time in as long as he could remember, he questioned his limits. He looked up to remind himself that there was nothing above him and he remained supreme.

But there was something there, floating, waiting, the sum of Rathmael's desire. Pain looked at the object of his deliverance and was at last humbled.

Far away on the peak of a mountain overlooking the Leaf, Nagato Uzumaki opened his own eyes. The room was dark in their hollow tree. "Konan," he called.

She rushed to his side, "I'm here."

"I'm so sorry."

"Pain-"

"Nagato. My name is Nagato Uzumaki."

She couldn't understand, if only she could see through God's eyes she would have. "Pain, what's happening?"

"I've lost, Konan. Open the tree, I'd like to feel the sunshine once more before I die."

 **~III~**

Together they watched Rathmael fall from heaven to earth, landing well within the army of Pain. Madara lived for the look in their eyes as their last hope fell right into his hands, for it was the death of Hashirama's dream at last.

Madara mourned the loss of the Konoha that would never be when the people, including his own clan, chose to follow the man who believed mankind could transcend their warring state into something greater. Hashirama saw an inherent goodness in mankind and believed that Konoha would be the tree to bring that goodness into full bloom. But he could never see that mankind would never be more perfect than as shinobi. An age of peace could only make men soft, they forget the struggle and turned to fat as they fancied themselves above the lowly beasts of the earth. But man was an animal at heart, and an animal must struggle to thrive. It was the competition, the violence and the hate the hardened mankind into his ultimate state of being. The weak died young and the strong survived to prosper, as nature had intended. And now at last he would prove Hashirama wrong.

Can you see this from your mountain, my friend? Here marks the end of your meliorism and the dawn of the new golden era of shinobi! We will war, we will challenge and we will carve ourselves to perfection as marble is chipped into art!

Tsunade mourned, "No...it can't be."

"The jinchuriki is ours. As we speak our horde is securing him for the ceremony."

Jiraiya asked, "And then what? What will you do once you have all the beasts?"

"Why, Pain will be god, and we his subjects."

Tsunade said, "He may have the beasts, but we will never submit to him."

"Good."

"What?"

"Challenge his supremacy, build a resistance and bring the world to war again."

"What are you saying? You're his ally, how can you be telling us to rebel? Why?"

"Because, little Tsunade, that is the road to perfection! Once he has the beasts, he can play god as he likes, I'll have nothing to do with his reign. In fact, I intend to challenge it. I'll find every brave shinobi who dares to challenge his supremacy and rally them into an army. We will return the world to its natural state, and we shall thrive!" He offered his hand, "I offer you to submit to me today, so that you may fight at my side tomorrow."

Tsunade laughed sadly, "My grandfather was right, you truly are lost."

"I am shinobi! The only shinobi left! You sully the title by claiming it! But I will forge a new generation of true shinobi in our next great war!"

 _I will only say this once._

The field went silent as the words echoed in every ear, despite never actually being said. They all knew the voice.

Rathmael.

 _DO NOT UNDERESTIMATE THE POWER OF THE DARK SIDE OF THE FORCE!_

The clouds of heaven began to twist, bulging as if it were a tarp burdened by flooding water. And from the center came a storm unlike anything natural, this one was alive. It penetrated the heavens like a lance through wicker, its howl pierced the ear like a million dying souls echoed from the beyond as if the storm killed all in the heavens again. The storm snatched the air and flung it in its agony, uprooting faraway forests in a flurry. It fell down to earth, for it knew its master's target. It engulfed a mountain in the distance, digging into earth and rock and flinging them through the sky. The storm ravaged the mountain secretly, and when it rose the mountain was missing, devoured by the storm.

A small black figure fell from the sky, it surrendered to will of the winds. The body of the God realm smashed into earth behind Madara, it had been long dead before his fall.

 _If you would live, kneel!_

It was a holy man of the whip that staggered forward to check their fallen God. He gently lay his unworthy fingers on God's flesh and felt no life, only cold. His tears flowed freely like a gutter in a storm as he closed his eyes and cast his own to the heavens that were no longer holy. Then he cast aside his whip and knelt before the Godslayer.

Before the army stood the remedy for their delusions. Heads began to fall in the crowd as men by the thousands genuflected in resigned reverence. The crowd of the standing thinned until at last only dozens remained upright, with Rathmael at the center. Those still standing with him were the truest believers and nothing of this world could convince them to renounce their faiths. Rathmael honored their defiance with a snap of his fingers. They all fell over dead in an instant.

Darth Rathmael walked through the parting conquered and marched to Konoha's line. Pain's headband snapped from the corpse and landed below the rest, and from afar Konan's soared through the sky and joined its fallen brothers. His edict was not repealed and they all knew that Rathmael expected all to show their respect. Madara turned to Tsunade and pleaded, "Don't. If you do, nothing else can stop him."

Tsunade looked at her people, none bowed but all wondered what the consequences would be. They feared for their lives and those of the ones they loved most. But none would bow if she remained unbent. And she did not have the heart to risk them all. For this was the Will of Fire, even if it meant defeat. Madara had never so loathed Hashirama's philosophy so he did now.

"I must," she said with the weakness of Konoha, for she would do anything to ensure the survival of the great tree, even if it meant submitting to this greater power.

She dropped to her knee and bowed her head, and at her lead the people of Konoha promptly showed their submission. What a disgrace this land had become! These were slaves, not shinobi! Good for nothing but pulling plows and making manure! Only one Konoha shinobi remained standing. A part of Madara was proud Itachi spared this one, there was potential. But he did not come forward to challenge Rathmael, for his rage had frozen him in place as if time chose to pass him by.

Madara was alone.

Rathmael flicked his wrist and unceremoniously flung Pain's body aside. He stopped before Madara and commanded, "Kneel."

Madara unsheathed his legendary blade, "Never."

Rathmael said nothing more, but activated his unhallowed blade and crossed it with Madara's. The great Uchiha did not back down. He was the last true shinobi in this world. He alone carried those consecrated traditions forward into the future. Even if he must stand against this monster alone, he would not back down. For if he did, if this Darth Rathmael defeats him, it would be the end of the era of shinobi.

 **A/N**

Future updates will become sporadic at times in the future as I'll be deploying infrequently for period that can range from weeks to months, depending on the scope of the operation. I'll continue to write while I'm out, but I can't guarantee how often I'll have access to an internet connection to publish finished works. Please be patient and I'll try to keep my profile updated with story statuses as often as will be feasible.

The first such trip is scheduled shortly, and I'm hoping to have at least one last chapter in this story finished by then, as it will be the end of the first half of this story.

Thank you everyone who's continued to provide support and encouragement, you've helped maintain my enthusiasm both for this story and for writing in general. Please continue to review with praise, criticisms, and any other comments you would like to share.


	13. The End of the Era of Shinobi

**The Will of the Force**

 **Chapter 13**

 **The End of the Era of Shinobi**

 **~I~**

The Will of Fire belonged to its adoptive father, but it was born to Madara. Fire was eternally hungry, it reached out in search for fuel, and only in this search and consumption could it grow! Madara's Will of Fire was an inferno that devoured the weak to fuel the strong, and within those flames the raw material of man was transformed into the perfection of shinobi. Konoha was to be his sword to bleed the world and bring its greatest struggle, a final battle where mankind as it was would end, and from their ashes the glorious shinobi race would emerge to claim the world, as it should be.

But Hashirama stole his sword and made it a shield to protect. And behind that shield the weak cowered while the strong bled and diminished. These animals should have been food for the mighty, yet they lived in their unearned safety and they grew fat in luxury. How it sickened him! His pure shinobi were diluted in a sea of weakness until they too surrendered to avarice!

A shinobi's place was in the field of battle. It was in the training grounds preparing for their next engagement! It was plotting every possibility and countering every enemy action to be that survivor! So that they would grow! And those who could not? Those too weak to fight? They were good for nothing but fuel. Let them till the fields until they expire, let them build homes and monuments to the powerful! They may live their short lives in service to their superior beings! For it is they who deserved to shape the world!

The strength of shinobi was his own. He cultivated it through years of discipline and suffering, and tested it in deathly dances with the Shinigami waiting for his final failure. That is why this Sith sickened him so! His strength was not earned, it was given! His was not an evolution but a surrender to an unknowable! Humanity must not go down this path, or they would forever remain a parasite to something great, and they would never try to surpass it. It was the easy way, the quick, seductive way. And he would see it closed.

So he stood there at the end of the era, unbowed and unbroken among his false peers, for he was the last shinobi in the world. His blade shimmered in the last of the sunlight as Pain's heavens faded into memory. He hoped the Shinigami was watching him. He would slay this false prophet and grant the Death God a paltry feast. He did not consider failure, he could not allow it. He would not be the last shinobi!

He raised his Seven Star Sword and brought it down on Rathmael like a meteor falling from heaven. Rathmael flicked his blade with a single hand and deflected the blow. His hubris would be his undoing, Madara promised.

Their blades met in a fury as Madara tried to carve his future into the Dark Lord. The traitorous shinobi crowded the sides of buildings to give them the street, they watched as their future was decided for them.

Madara moved his blade with all the strength his endless hardships had earned him. Each blow would have been fatal if it merely broke his guard for an instant. But Rathmael caught each blow with his glowing blade with the ease of an artist stroking his canvas. It enraged Madara to see someone so unworthy challenge him as an equal! His power was not earned! He did not deserve it!

He disengaged and leaped away, his fingers a blur of handseals as he called, "Fire Style: Eternal Flame!" The stream of fire was filled with his revulsion towards everything the Sith proselytized, and then he inflamed it further. He pulled out the Great Sage's Banana Palm Fan and fueled the flames until they were an unholy inferno that would swallow Rathmael and everything in its path. People cried out and ran for cover. It was for nothing.

Rathmael reached out and stole the fire's life, it died in the air with barely a whimper. Then he stretched and the great fan flew from Madara's surprised grip to Rathmael, who cut it in two as it passed, releasing an explosion of elemental energy that was the fan's final scream.

Madara growled, "How dare you destroy one of the Sage's artifacts!"

Rathmael said, "These trinkets mean nothing. The Force-"

Madara grinned, there it was. He lifted his sleeve and revealed the Golden Canopy Rope glowing patiently on his arm. In an instant he summoned the Crimson Gourd and cried, "You fool, your love of the word is your unmaking! Your soul is mine, Rathmael!"

The rope unfurled and lashed at Rathmael like a python to its prey, grabbing his arm and reaching for his very being. Rathmael watched curiously as his life energy began winding through the rope. Madara grinned with victory and readied his gourd to devour the abomination.

Then Rathmael touched it with a finger. Madara recoiled as lightning ran through the golden rope, cresting in horrifying arcs of sickening fury. The rope stretched and tried to retreat, but too late, for the energy within ignited and the rope fell to the dirt, writhing in agony from the flames that would consume it to nothing.

Rathmael looked to the gourd tucked under Madara's arm, the would-be vessel for his soul. He reached for it and it came despite Madara's firm strength. He looked it over, then hurled it high into the sky with such force it might leave the planet entirely. Then he clenched his fist and the vessel burst with more force than any bomb ever seen. The sea of souls it once contained were freed, and the village heard their collective cries of relief.

Madara could not believe. The infinite power of the Sage of Six Paths had been so easily humbled and lost to his descendants, all because of this madman! Madara howled with anger, and filled with wrath he charged Rathmael with his blade clenched in his grip, he would not stop until he had Rathmael's head!

But no more did the Sith fight defensively. With seemingly little effort he pressed Madara, and for the first time that he could remember, Madara was pushed to retreat. The Sith's bladework was masterful, it hummed in its dance that forced Madara back against Rathmael's endless march of progress through the village, as if showing all before him who's power was superior over all.

Madara did not lose, not since Hashirama, and he'd sworn to never taste defeat again. But he could smell its approach as he was forced deeper into the village core. At last he could see the end, the Hokage tower from where he once ruled this village and all its potential. He roared and pressed his attack one last time, hammering his blade down on the Sith. Rathmael easily caught it and ducked below and touched the sword with the tip of his finger. The blade shattered into a million tiny shards that danced like starlight. He flung them at Madara, who felt them violate his skin like the Death God's caress.

He was flung from his feet and landed on his back. And there he lay, not for more than an instant. It was in that moment that Madara at last questioned his ability to win. He imagined a world where he lost, where the power of the force was allowed to dominate man. He saw a sea of people on their knees, a race of servants before some higher power, only to stand and march towards eternal weakness. And he rejected it!

He howled through the pain and rose to his feet, announcing, "By my brother's blood, I will slay you, Dark Lord!"

He unsealed the last of the Sage's artifacts, the great Amber Purifying Pot. "I will seal you and dump you in the deepest ocean of the world!"

"You threaten to return me to darkness? I never left."

Then Rathmael reached out and clenched his fist.

The pot buckled as a can under pressure, bending and surrendering to an unbreakable force that wanted to swallow it. And suddenly it collapsed as if some giant had stepped on it. Madara could feel its ancient energy suffocate and die, and the Great Sage's power was extinguished from this world.

How foolish he was, to rely on the power of another! It did not matter if the Sage was the founder and the greatest of them, he was gone! His power was useless here! It must be him to challenge Rathmael, or nothing else would matter!

He roared and summoned all the power he held inside and summoned it into this world. The streets was flooded with his rich chakra. His will gave it the shape of a giant, and at last his face towered over the village. "Behold, the ultimate Susanoo! Feel the power of a true shinobi!"

He faced Rathmael's loathing and readied his enormous blade to crush the puny Sith, who stood as stoic as a statue without freedom. And Madara imagined the hopelessness he would feel the moment he realized his borrowed power was not enough!

And then he stopped and the pressure of the world fell upon him. He tried to resist, but something was pulling him down in every direction. He released a torrent of chakra to maintain Susanoo's stability, but the pressure mounted like mountains piling on one after another. Susanoo stumbled to its knees, then broke in an explosion of chakra.

Madara stumbled to the ground and felt his dreams evaporate with his jutsu. His immense power was diminished before Rathmael as a candle snuffed out by a light breeze. So this is what hopeless is. Defeat...it mingled with the pressure to choke his insides.

His head was bent to face the ground, he saw Rathmael's feet enter his view. And he realized he was doing precisely what the Dark Lord wanted. He was kneeling. It did not matter that it was against his will, Madara had submitted.

No! No, it will not end this way! He may lose, and the last shinobi might perish from this earth, but he would not go in submission!

He summoned all the years of torment, suffering and pain, all his sacrifice and loss, and took from them that magnificent strength that was his by right! He filled his body, from the top of his head to the soles of his feet with this strength, and against the weight of the Dark Lord's will, he began to rise. His cry would live in the ears and hearts of all who heard it that day as the final defiance of a true shinobi! His knees fought against the pressure and Madara stood against the false prophet!

Madara looked Rathmael in the eye as an equal, nothing less, and for his defiance he was granted a brief look of surprise from the Dark Lord. He said, his final words, "I will never submit. I am shinobi."

Rathmael did not recognize his words. Madara watched his hand begin to rise and expected to be eliminated in that same unholy energy. But he was surprised when he felt the hand wrap around his throat.

This was Rathmael's gift, a final end, not from his borrowed power, but by his own hand. And Madara felt in his last moment a strength entirely of man, forged by suffering and hate. Madara's eyes began to roll back, and for a moment he saw the fire seal atop the Hokage's tower. And he wondered, as he died, if things could have been different, if only his vision had been given its chance. Izuna, forgive your failure of a brother.

So it was that Madara Uchiha, the last true shinobi, perished in the grip of mortal might, and the age of shinobi came to its end.

 **~II~**

The mightiest mortal fell dead at the feet of the future. His ancient Leaf headband rose and nested on Rathmael's shoulder above the rest, a memorial to an organization that thought to subdue him and paid the highest price. Those left behind dared hardly to breathe and wait to see where he would choose to make the world turn. Only the winds and birds in the sky dared violate his silence. Those who had knelt now waited for Rathmael to claim his victory. All but one.

There was no word in any language known to shinobi that could describe Sasuke's feelings towards Rathmael. Few humans have experienced it before, and those that did never recovered their sanity to describe it. It was unlike any emotion he could recall, as if every blow that Rathmael inflicted on his enemies, every blow of the Force and every stroke of the blade, had been for him. To tear him away from everything he'd come to love and adore and stroke every fear and doubt he kept inside. It carved out his very core and left him hollow, like a well begging for rain. To call it hate was too simple. It was a loathing so intense, a repulsion at his mere existence so powerful that he could hardly stand to look at him, and yet he must. Because there was his answer.

Here at last was a power strong enough to achieve his life's desire. And not only achieve it, but to truly avenge it! With such strength, he could find Itachi anywhere he might hide, and he could inflict every measure of pain he'd given him and their family until the debt was paid. He could no longer be satisfied with Itachi's death. He demanded his repentance through suffering.

And so as deeply as he despised the Dark Lord, he wanted, needed his favor. He wanted Rathmael to extend his hand and offer his power, and he wanted to grasp it so firmly that he broke the hand in the process.

Rathmael stood there, and Sasuke realized he was waiting. He stood alone in the field for all others were too afraid to approach. But Sasuke's fear was trapped in a fog of need, one that only Rathmael could burn away.

He stepped into no-man's-land. But someone grabbed him. He turned and saw Sakura holding his hand. There was a fear in her eyes, one that he knew, he saw it all those years ago when he first left the village. "Sasuke...don't."

How he hated her! How dare she keep him from his destiny again!? Could she not see how little her love and friendship had done for him? She had brainwashed him into believing those things mattered! They couldn't to him, not anymore, not after losing it all! He was stagnant, he could not grow in the shadow of this great tree! He cursed her and her offer of false hope!

He pulled his hand away sharply and as he spoke his hatred drizzled his words like acid, "Get away from me." Sakura felt her years of forgiveness and caring thrown in her face like an egg. She was blind to how her intentions bound him, hindered him, and he would have no more of it!

He stepped into the sphere and stared at the back of Rathmael He knew he was aware of him, and soon all that power would be his.

"Rathmael," he said.

The Dark Lord was silent. Sasuke was enraged, was he unworthy of a reply? His silence was like twisting a knife still in the wound.

"Rathmael!" he screamed. Still no answer, but he knew he was heard. He breathed and said slowly, "Give me your power. Make me strong with The Force."

The Dark Lord spoke, "Swear to me."

"What?"

"Reject all other allegiances and bind yourself to me."

Sasuke seethed, "Bastard!"

"Do it," Rathmael said coldly, "Kneel, and pledge all that you are to me. Only then will I make you mine."

Sasuke wanted to rip his throat open and hear him try to speak then! But he wanted something more. More than pride, more than love, he wanted power. Power to conquer all else, to his revenge and beyond.

Sasuke untied his forehead protector. He looked into the scarred metal and saw his sharingan staring back. He hated himself then, and he realized he always would if he gave himself to his one-time friend. But everything faded before the possibility he so desperately coveted. He glanced over his shoulder and saw Sakura. Her eyes begged him to come back, that if he did all would be forgiven. Her heart would always find it in itself to offer him just one more chance. Her weakness disgusted him and he turned away. There was no going back now.

He lowered himself before the Sith Lord and placed his forehead protector before him as an offering. "I pledge myself to your teachings. I am yours, my master."

At last Rathmael turned and lifted the headband. Sasuke saw Madara's corpse behind him. His dead eyes expressed shame from the other side at his descendant's betrayal. Stealing him would be Rathmael's final insult to the shinobi.

Sasuke wanted to laugh. It was his foolish rigidity that led to his downfall. But he would be flexible, he would take strength where it was, and he would use it to defeat whoever stood in his way. He would not follow Madara's path. He chose to succeed.

Sasuke felt a hand on his chin, Rathmael dragged his gaze to him. His eyes danced with delight as he slipped Sasuke's forehead protector into his robes. This one was not for decoration, it was his prize, a symbol of his true victory. The only one that mattered to him.

"Rise, my apprentice."

 **A/N**

And so ends the first arc of this story. Akatsuki is no more, its armies humbled, its lieutenants slain and its god made mortal, and finally its founder's legacy ended. I began this story when the outline was fully formed, and we are now halfway through that outline. The first arc is complete, the next will bring things to its climax.

As previously mentioned, I will be deploying as part of my job shortly and future updates might be sporadic and spaced apart. I'll keep writing and posting as I'm able, but I'd like to make you all aware.

The story has come this far, and still has a way to go. Thank you everyone who's been following it and encouraging its continuation. I look forward to your reviews and reading your thoughts.

Published: December , 2018


End file.
